Remember
by Sassafrass86
Summary: Chap 19--Dave gets shocking news from Anna. Plus: It's Dave's first day back at the ER since he was attacked and wackiness ensues.
1. Confession

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: Ummm…not really.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ER staff, which really sucks because well, you know…anyway, I own Lana, Cassidy, and Mr. & Mrs. Davis.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was going to be a long day. Dr. Dave Malucci could already tell. Things were going slow in the ER. No traumas were expected yet. Dave decided to go into the lounge for a little break. "MALUCCI!" Well, looks like his plans were killed  
  
"Hey chief, what do ya need?"  
  
"What do I need? I need nothing, it's the patients that need our care!" Weaver steamed.  
  
"Ok, chief, calm down, I'm just going to go get a coffee and I'll…"  
  
"No! No coffee. You took a coffee break 30 minutes ago, I think you'll live without this one, don't you?"  
  
Dave grimaced. "Aw, come on chief…"  
  
Dr. Weaver glared at him. "Get to work now, or it'll be your head!" She stormed off.  
  
Dave sighed. He walked over to the admit desk to check out what patients he could see.  
  
Hmmmm… 10 year old, broken wrist.  
  
Dave had always had a soft spot for kids, so he decided to take the little girl. He walked to Exam 3 where he found two girls sitting on a bed and two worried adults pacing across the floor.  
  
"Hello everyone," Dave said, cheerfully, "now, which one of you is Lana?"  
  
One of the girls, who appeared to be the younger of the two, raised her hand, looking slightly nervous.  
  
"Hi, Lana. I'm Dr. Dave and I'm going to be taking care of you today. Now, it says here you have a broken wrist?"  
  
Lana nodded her head.  
  
"Is she going to be ok, sir?" the other girl asked.  
  
"Are you Lana's sister?" Dave asked.  
  
"Yeah," the girl replied.  
  
"What's your name? How old are you?" he said, glancing at her.  
  
"Cassidy, I'm 14," she said.  
  
"Well, Cassidy, it looks like your little sister will be just fine," he said.  
  
"Oh, thank God!" said the woman, apparently the mother of the girls.  
  
"Are you the mother?" Dave asked, with a smile.  
  
"Yes, I was so worried about my little Lana," she cooed, "are you sure she's going to be alright?"  
  
Dave was about to reply when the man said, in a gruff voice, "For God's sake, the man said she'd be fine, Amanda. There's no need to worry." Dave raised an eyebrow and looked at Mrs. Davis.  
  
"Roger, I was just making sure. Please, don't make a scene."  
  
"Make a scene? I'm not making a scene."  
  
"I'm sorry, Roger, it's just…you always do and…" Mrs. Davis started, but her words wore away. She looked at Dave and gave him a weak smile. He smiled back.  
  
"When can she get out of here?" Mr. Davis asked. Dave's smile faltered.  
  
"Uh, well, I'm going to examine her to see if anything else might be wrong, but if nothing comes up, I'm sure you'll be out of here in about an hour."  
  
Mr. Davis nodded. "Is there anyplace to get a bite to eat around here?"  
  
"Well, you could go to the cafeteria, or you could go to the small restaurant across the street, Doc Magoo's." Dave said.  
  
"What do you think, Amanda?"  
  
"Why don't we go across the street, Roger? I think it might be better than a cafeteria…no offense to the hospital, of course," Mrs. Davis said, casting a look at Dave.  
  
Dave chuckled. "None taken, Mrs. Davis."  
  
"Alright then, let's go, Amanda, Cassidy."  
  
"Actually Dad, I wanted to stay here with Lana," Cassidy said.  
  
"I'm sure the doctor has better things to do than baby-sit two girls," her father replied, a slight trace of anger in his words.  
  
"Well, actually, Mr. Davis, Cassidy staying here will be fine. I wouldn't mind." Dave said.  
  
Mr. Davis looked from Dave to Cassidy to Lana, who hadn't spoken a word. "Fine, stay. We'll be back soon." He took Mrs. Davis by the hand and pulled her out of the room.  
  
Dave looked at Cassidy. "Are you OK?" he asked, noticing that she was staring at the ground.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she said, turning to Lana, "how are you, kiddo?"  
  
"I'm fine," Lana smiled.  
  
"That's a good girl," Cassidy said, returning the smile. She looked at Dave.  
  
"Ok, well, Lana, I need to examine you a little more. I'm going to check if your breathing's ok, is that alright with you?" Dave asked, tenderly. Lana nodded.  
  
"Good, good," Dave said, "Ok, I'm going to use this, what we call a stethoscope, and test your breath sounds. Can you take a deep breath for me…good, now breathe out, good, breathe in again, and breathe out. Good job, Lana, that was perfect. Now, I have to check your back, OK?"  
  
"No! No, don't!" Lana cried.  
  
Dave look at Cassidy, obviously puzzled, but she was looking at the floor again. She looked up, with tears in her eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" Dave asked. He didn't get a reply. Still confused, he shook his head, and untied the back of Lana's hospital gown. What he saw shocked him.  
  
"I…Lana, how did you get all these bruises?" Dave asked, his brow furrowed.  
  
Lana began to cry. Dave looked at Cassidy again.  
  
"Cassidy, do you know what's going on here?"  
  
Cassidy looked up. She nodded. "He doesn't mean it. He just…sometimes he just gets mad…he loves us, he's always loved us," she began to babble.  
  
"Cassidy…are you talking about…is your dad doing this?"  
  
Cassidy began to cry. "Yes," she whispered through her tears. Dave looked down. He felt the anger bubbling in him. "Is he doing it to you, too?" This time, there was no answer, but he saw a slight nod. Dave nodded back. He stood up.  
  
"I'll be right back, OK?"  
  
Again, another nod. Dave sighed. He walked out of the room. He saw Dr. Greene.  
  
"Hey, Dr. Greene, can I talk to your for a minute?"  
  
"I'm kind of busy now, Malucci, maybe later."  
  
"But, Dr. Greene, I…"  
  
"Take care of it Malucci, come find me later."  
  
Dave sighed in defeat. He saw Mr. Davis walk in. He walked over to him.  
  
"Mr. Davis…where's your wife?"  
  
"She went to the bathroom, why?" he asked.  
  
Dave shook his head. "You disgust me."  
  
"Excuse me? What gives you the right to talk to me like that?" he demanded.  
  
"The fact that you've been hitting your kids! Do you hit your wife too, huh?" Dave exclaimed, getting some looks for the people waiting in Chairs. He didn't care.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you to accuse me of hitting my family?" Mr. Davis said, furiously.  
  
"I'm not going to let you get away with it!" Dave yelled. The dispute had caught Dr. Greene's attention, stopping him from his task. He'd been watching the exchange between the men and decided it was time to step in.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" Mr. Davis screamed. That did it. Dave lunged at Mr. Davis, throwing punches, but Davis countered it, kicking Dave in the ribs, throwing him off balance. Mark ran over to the men and pulled them apart, with the help of Security, who had run over as well.  
  
"Dave, calm the hell down!" Mark screamed. Dave stopped struggling and pushed Mark off him. He pointed a finger at Mr. Davis. "You know what you're doing. I'm not going to let you get away with it." Security pulled Mr. Davis away. Dave caught the eye of a woman in front of the entrance. She had tears in her eyes.  
  
"Mrs. Davis…can you come with me?" Dave said, meaning it as more of a statement than a question.  
  
"No, you don't Malucci. Get in the lounge, we're going to settle this."  
  
"But, Dr. Greene, you don't…" Dave started.  
  
"Malucci, get into the lounge!" Dr. Weaver walked over. "What's going on here?" she asked.  
  
"Malucci started a fight," Mark replied.  
  
"Again?"  
  
"No, Chief, you don't understand, I was…" Dave stopped at Dr. Weaver's glare. He sighed. He threw his hands up. He walked toward the lounge. Mark and Kerry looked at each other. Kerry followed Dave. Mark turned to Mrs. Davis.  
  
"Now, Mrs. Davis, if you can just wait here, I'm going to go speak with Dr. Dave. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Mark walked off before he could get an answer.  
  
He walked into the lounge and found Weaver sitting on the couch and Dave next to the lockers.  
  
"Malucci, what the hell was that about?" he asked.  
  
"Look, Chief, Dr. Greene, you…" he tried to say, but was cut off.  
  
"Malucci, this isn't about us, it's about you and that man. What made you go off like that?" Mark questioned.  
  
"That man was abusing his kids!" Dave said, incredulously.  
  
"Do you know that for a fact?" Weaver asked.  
  
Dave paused. He thought for a minute, about the kids, the evidence, the anger. "Yes," he said.  
  
Kerry nodded. "Mark, maybe we should see what he has to say."  
  
Mark looked at her with a surprised look. "He hit a patient's father, again, I might add, and you want to listen to what he has to say now?"  
  
Dave looked down. "Dr. Greene, he was hitting his kids. I had to do something."  
  
"You do not hit anyone in this facility, no matter what the circumstances are, Malucci," Mark exclaimed.  
  
"Those little girls were getting hit, Dr. Greene!" Dave said. He began to walk out of the lounge. Mark and Kerry looked at each other for a moment and followed him.  
  
"Malucci, you don't walk away like that. Those kids might be getting hit, but you don't handle it yourself! You leave that to Family Services!"  
  
Dave stopped. He turned to face Greene and Weaver. The eyes of Randi, Carter, Luka, Abby, Haleh, Chuny, and Chen were now on the three, but Dave didn't notice. He was too upset to notice.  
  
If only they knew. If they all knew, they would be thinking twice about the way they talked to me.  
  
"Look," he whispered. He coughed. "Look," he said again, "those kids were getting abused. I wasn't going to stand by and let what happened to me happen to those innocent girls too!" he yelled loudly. He took a deep breath. He realized what he had just said. He looked at his friends. Carter, Abby, and Luka were staring at him with their mouths hanging open. Haleh and Chuny were looking at the ground. Randi and Chen were looking at him with a look of deep concern. He looked at Mark and Kerry. They stared at him with shocked expressions.  
  
Oh, God. They know.  
  
"Dave," Kerry whispered, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Chief, listen, I don't want your damn pity, ok? You, all of you, never thought that stupid Dr. Dave wasn't anything. You thought I was just a fool without a purpose, just looking for people to joke around with. Aren't I right? Can you honestly say that you don't think that all I am is trouble?" He looked around. Nobody said anything. "Just because you don't like me," he began, "doesn't mean I don't have a past. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have patients to see." With that, Dave grabbed a chart from his desk, took a quick glance at Randi and Chen and walked off. 


	2. Opening Up

1 Title: Remember  
  
Rating for Chapter 2: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own Dave or Carter, darn it.  
  
  
  
The ER staff was still shocked at Dave's outburst. Nobody had had any clue whatsoever that Dave had been abused as a child, even though he had dropped numerous hints that he had. Now they knew why he was so involved in the apparent abuse cases that came into the ER. Dr. Weaver was the first to break the silence.  
  
"Alright, people, we still have patients to see. Get to work," she ordered. They looked at her incredulously, wondering how she could expect them to work when one of their co-workers had just told them that he had such a horrible childhood. "NOW!" she screamed. Everyone scrambled back to work. Abby joined Carter to see a patient, Luka and Chen scrambling to see their patients as well, as Haleh and Chuny went with each doctor while Randi continued chewing her gum and reading her magazines. Kerry and Mark walked into the lounge once again to find Dave sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.  
  
"Dave?" Mark said.  
  
"Just leave me alone, please," Dave replied, quietly.  
  
"But…" Mark started, but Kerry touched his arm. He looked at her. She shook her head. Mark nodded back.  
  
"We'll talk to you later, Dave, you can take a break," Weaver said. Dave just nodded, still holding his head. When they left, Dave looked up. He took a deep breath and stood up. He walked to his locker and opened it. He pulled out a picture. It was a picture of a man, a woman, a young girl, and a young boy.  
  
"Why, dad? Why did you have to do what you did?" Dave asked the picture. He touched the image of the woman. "I love you, mom," he whispered, "I always will." He touched the image of the young girl. "I love you, too, my little sister," he said. That left the image of the little boy. "You, you're a failure. Everybody thinks you're a joke. Now, you've gone and told them about your past. Smooth move, Dr. Dave," he said, with a small chuckle at the word "doctor". He put the picture back in his locker and took another deep breath. "Well, Dave, when you talk to yourself, that's when you know you've gone crazy. Now there are patients to see so go be a man about it and take care of them," he told himself. He walked out of the lounge, walked past Randi, walked past Chen, walked past Carter and Abby, walked past all of them. And all of them gave them the same look of pity. Pity that he didn't want. Pity that he didn't need. He walked into Exam 3, only to find that Lana, Cassidy, and Mrs. Davis had left.  
  
That bastard probably got away with it. He probably got to take them home.  
  
"Dave?" a voice said, breaking Dave from his thoughts. He turned around and saw Randi standing in the doorway.  
  
"Randi, hey, how you doin?" he said, hoping she wouldn't bring up what he had said earlier.  
  
"Me? I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about."  
  
"There's no need to worry about me, Randi, I'm doing fine."  
  
"Dave, do you want to talk about it?" she said, concerned.  
  
"Talk about what?" he asked, innocently.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me," she said, firmly.  
  
Dave sighed. "No, not right now," he replied, grimacing.  
  
"Come on, you probably have to vent anyway. You can talk to me."  
  
"I don't want to do this right now, Randi, OK?" he said, getting annoyed. Why couldn't she just leave him alone? Randi glared at him.  
  
"No, Dave, it's not OK. You were abused! You didn't tell us. Why not?" she exclaimed. Dave tried to fight back tears.  
  
Men don't cry, Dave, men don't cry.  
  
"I didn't want you to know! OK? I didn't want you to know about my past! I just wanted to keep it a secret. Make it all go away. If you didn't know, I wouldn't have to think about it as often and the less I think about it, better I am. Is that good enough for you? Huh? Are you satisfied now?" Dave burst out.  
  
Randi looked hard at him. A tear slid down Dave's cheek. Her expression softened. "Oh, Dave," she whispered. She walked over to him as he began to sob. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his head.  
  
"Shhh, shhh, it's ok, it'll be ok," she said, soothingly. She pulled his head up to make him face her. "Do you want to talk about it now?" she asked. Dave nodded. She smiled and led him out of the room, holding his hand. She saw Dr. Weaver and she ran over to her, with Dave trailing behind.  
  
"Dr. Weaver," Randi yelled. Kerry turned at the sound of her name.  
  
"Yes, Randi?" she saw Dave behind her, who had obviously been crying.  
  
"Um, Dr. Weaver, would you mind if we, Dave and I, took a break? Like, a lunch break? Like, go across the street to Doc Magoo's?"  
  
"Oh, um, of course, that would be fine," Kerry replied, curious about Randi's request. Randi smiled and she led Dave out of the ER.  
  
After they slid into a booth at Doc's and had both ordered a coffee, Randi looked at Dave expectantly. "Well?" she pushed.  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"We came here to talk, so you gonna talk or what?" she said, impatiently.  
  
"It's not that easy, Randi, OK?"  
  
Randi sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. You know I just love to eat up all the gossip."  
  
Dave looked at her.  
  
"Oh, no, I…I didn't mean it like that Dave, I'm not going to go around and tell everyone what you said or anything, I just meant…"  
  
"Randi, it's OK, calm down. This is hard for me, I never really talked about it with anyone before."  
  
"Well, why not?"  
  
"I just don't like to talk about it."  
  
Randi paused. The waitress came up to the booth and put their coffees down. They thanked her as she sauntered off. Randi turned back to Dave without saying anything.  
  
"I understand if you don't want to talk right now. You don't have to."  
  
Dave looked at her. "No, it's OK." He took a deep breath.  
  
"Well, here it goes…when I was eight, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was a smoker. Anyway, the doctor told us she didn't have much time left, so my dad, my little sister, Anna, and I spent as much time with her as we could. One day, she had taken me to this playground and she was watching me swing when all of a sudden, I saw her collapse. A bunch of other adults ran over to her to see what was the matter and I raced over. Somebody called the ambulance and we went to the hospital. She, uh, she didn't make it. My dad loved her so much that…I don't know, it set him off. He didn't want to accept that she had died. He started drinking. He would get so out of control. Then, when I was ten, he decided that since I had only gotten a B on my math test, he would have to "punish" me. That's when it started. He hit me every single day. Thank God he didn't touch Anna. She's four years younger than me, you know. Then I turned 18 and I went to college. I knew Anna wouldn't have a problem with dad because she reminded him of mom and he loved her. I didn't look like her or anything, so I was useless to him. Anyway, I got into college, decided I wanted to be a doctor, got low scores on my MSATs, and well…you know the rest."  
  
Randi hadn't spoken while Dave talked and she remained silent. She was at a loss for words. She had no idea that Dave had a sister or that his mother died…she felt horrible for him.  
  
"Dave, I'm so sorry," she said.  
  
"Yeah, you and everyone else in the ER."  
  
"Did you ever tell anyone else?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, but you know, the doctors all assumed that my stories about 'walking into doors' and 'getting into fights' were all legit. I told the police once and they showed up at the house, but my dad won that, obviously. After they left he gave me one hell of a beating and locked me in the closet for a few days. I promised never to tell another soul."  
  
Randi didn't speak. Dave looked down at his watch.  
  
"Hey, we should be getting back to the hospital," he said, glancing at Randi.  
  
"Uh, yeah, we should," she replied. They got up and Dave paid the check. They walked back through the ER doors, Randi heading toward her spot at the admit desk.  
  
"Hey, Randi?"  
  
"Yeah, Dave?" she stopped and looked back.  
  
"Thanks," he said.  
  
"For what?" she asked.  
  
"Listening."  
  
Randi smiled. "Anytime, Dave. If you ever need me to listen again, you know where to find me."  
  
Dave smiled back. He walked off to find another patient, leaving Randi to look after him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
**************************************************************************** *******  
  
Should I continue, or should I stop there? 


	3. Talking Again

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: Not really  
  
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story and as much as I would like to, I do not own Dave or Carter...*sigh*  
  
The phone rang. Randi sighed and put down her magazine.  
  
"Hello?" she said into the receiver.  
  
"Hi, I was wondering if I could speak with Dr. David Malucci?" a girl's voice asked.  
"Uh, well, this isn't really a private phone line, if you know what I mean," Randi replied.  
  
"Oh...OK, I understand. Um, do you think you could give me his cell phone number?"  
  
Randi furrowed her brow. This girl was sure requesting some strange things.  
"Um, may I ask why?"  
  
"I really need to talk to Dave."  
"Well, I'm not at liberty to give out this information. Would you like to leave a message for him?"  
  
"Uh, well, sure, I guess. Can you just tell Dave to call Anna back at 284-7834?"  
  
"Sure," Randi replied, writing down the message, "I'll make sure to get the message to Dr. Malucci for you."  
  
"Thanks so much...um..."  
  
"Randi," she helped.  
  
"Randi! OK, thanks again."  
  
"OK, bye now." Randi hung up the phone before she got a reply. Who was this girl? Dave's girlfriend? Not that she cared. She wasn't jealous...right?  
  
"Randi," Dave's voice boomed.  
  
Randi jumped, startled at the sound of her name. She turned and smiled when she saw Dave. She looked down at the paper she was holding and her smile quickly disappeared.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Uh, here, some girl named Anna called and she was asking for you."  
  
"Kristin...wh- why didn't you come get me?" Dave asked, sounding panicked.  
  
"I...I'm sorry Dave, I told her it wasn't a private line and..."  
  
Dave sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Randi, it's just...Anna...I haven't spoken to her in a long time. She's a very special person."  
  
Randi averted her eyes from him. "So...who is she?"  
  
Dave looked at her. He smiled inwardly. He took the paper from Randi's hand.  
  
"I'll explain later. I promise," he told her, as he walked to the lounge to use the phone.  
  
Randi sighed. She shrugged and went back to her magazine, but she couldn't help but let her mind keep wandering to Dave and this mysterious girl.  
  
Dave took a deep breath. This was it. He was finally going to speak to Anna again.  
  
[I]This is it Dave. Keep your cool now, buddy.[/I]  
  
He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the paper Randi had given him. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times...  
  
"Hello?" a voice answered.  
  
Dave grinned. "Anna?"  
  
The girl gasped. "D-Dave?" she asked, as if she couldn't believe her ears.  
  
"Why do you sound so surprised? You left a message," Dave asked, with a small chuckle.  
  
"I...oh, my gosh, Dave, I missed you," Anna said through tears.  
  
"I missed you too, little sister." 


	4. Flashback

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: Not really  
  
Disclaimer: You know the deal.  
  
"Oh, Dave, it hasn't been the same since you left," Anna gushed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Anna. You know I had to leave."  
  
"Yeah, but why Grenada of all places? I didn't have your number...you never called..."  
  
"I know, I know...and I'm sorry, but I was scared. You...you know what Dad's capable of..." Dave began. He hated to talk about his father with his sister.  
  
"Don't worry. I understand."  
"Why'd you call? Tell me he hasn't laid one finger on you."  
  
Anna chuckled. "Don't worry, Dave, he hasn't. No, I'm just calling because we're going to Chicago!"  
  
"What? Oh, my gosh, that's great," Dave exclaimed. He thought for a minute. "Wait...we?"  
  
Anna paused. "Yeah...we. Me...and dad."  
  
Dave frowned. He didn't know what to think. On the one hand, he would get to see his beloved baby sister again...on the other, he's have to face his father. The man who had made him live in fear for 8 whole year. Eight horrible, long years.  
  
"Dave? Are you still there?"  
  
Dave shook his head. "Uh, yeah. Well, that's great, Anna! I'm glad you're coming!"  
"Me too, big brother. Listen, Dave, I know you and daddy have enormous issues...but he doesn't drink anymore. I swear."  
  
Dave smiled. "Anna, listen to me. I really am glad you're coming. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing you [I]and[/I]dad again," he lied.  
  
"Really?" Anna said, skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, of course!"  
"Alright, awesome! This is going to be great, bro, you'll see!"  
  
"Hey, I'll give you my cell phone number and when you get here, you can give me a call and I'll go to the airport and pick you up!"  
"That'll be great. We're going to be there in two days."  
  
"Oh, great, I...wait, two days?"  
  
Anna laughed. "Yup, two days!"  
  
Dave smirked. "Wow, thanks for the notice in advance, sis. I'll tell you what, you guys can stay at my place."  
  
"Are you serious? That'll be fantastic!"  
  
"Yeah, of course. You and dad...you...you're my family," Dave said, trying to hide his pain when he said that his father was family. He knew it wasn't true...or at least he didn't want it to be.  
  
"Dave?"  
  
"Yeah, Anna?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"For..."  
  
"For being able to put what Dad did to you behind us. For forgiving him."  
  
Dave looked at the ground. "Uh, no problem, sis."  
  
"OK, I'll see you in two days!" she said, excitedly.  
  
"OK, sis. I miss you!"  
  
"Me too, bro. See ya soon!"  
  
"Muah!"  
  
Anna laughed. "Ditto," she said, before she hung up.  
  
Dave smiled, but it quickly faded when he thought of his father. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. After all these years...all the abuse, all the pain...after all these years, he'd have to see his father again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Flasback:  
  
"Dad, please, no!" the 14-year-old Dave cried.  
  
"Shut up you little piss head," Sam Malucci yelled, chasing his young son through the house.  
  
"Dad, I'm sorry! Please, I didn't mean it!"  
  
"You broke the damn window you little rat!"  
"I'm sorry! I was playing baseball with Freddy..."  
"Oh, you going to blame this on your little friend now? You damn coward," Sam screamed, as he grabbed Dave by the collar.  
  
Dave screamed as well.  
  
"Shut up, you worthless piece of junk!"  
  
Dave was bawling.  
  
"Dry those tears, kid, men don't cry!"  
  
Sam slapped his son and let him fall to the ground. He started kicking at him and Dave grunted with every blow. He picked the boy up and slammed him against the wall. Dave's head started bleeding. Dave slid down. Sam walked toward the broken window, picking up a piece of stray glass that was on the floor. Dave closed his eyes, hoping he was wrong about what he thought was coming. Sam walked back to Dave. The boy opened his eyes and was terrified to see the huge piece of glass glinting in front of his face.  
  
"Do you see this, boy? Do you? Look at that window!" he yelled, grabbing Dave's head and turning it to the left. He twisted Dave's head back to look at him. Dave felt the tears run down his face, along with the blood, which was pouring from his head. Sam lifted the glass again. He ripped Dave's shirt off and Dave shuddered, feeling cold. Sam pushed the glass against Dave's bare skin and made a long line down Dave's stomach, stopping when he reached the top of Dave's baggy pants. Dave bit his tongue, wincing in pain, knowing that if he cried or screamed anymore he would get worse.  
  
"If you ever pull something like this again, you're going to wish you were never born, do you understand me," Sam whispered into Dave's ear, before dropping the glass and slamming Dave to the ground. Little did he know that Dave already wished he wasn't born. For if he had known, he would have fulfilled Dave's wish.  
  
"And you're paying for that window," Sam spat, before walking away.  
  
Dave waited until he was sure his father was gone. When he heard the front door slam, he began to sob. He turned onto his side and looked at the stairs...to see a 10-year-old Anna looking down at him with fear in her eyes. He gave her a small smile and a thumbs up, their little signal they used to tell each other that they should perk up and be happy. Anna gave him a tiny smile in return, as well as a thumbs up before jackrabitting down the stairs to help her fallen brother.  
  
End flashback.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dave awoke with a start. He was panting and sweaty. He lifted his scrub top and looked down at his stomach, which had his 6-pack abs as well as quite a few scars, like the long one which reached from his chest to his navel. He had fallen asleep on the couch in the lounge and remembered that Anna and his father were coming in a couple of days. He put his shirt back down and sat up, holding his head in his hands. He wasn't in peace for very long because Jing-Mei walked through the doors, but stopped when she saw Dave. She put on a worried expression and walked toward her co-worker.  
  
"Dave? What's wrong?"  
  
"My little sister's coming to visit me in a couple of days," Dave said quietly.  
  
[I]Little sister?[/I]Deb thought.  
  
"Oh, well, isn't that good?" she asked.  
  
"My dad's coming, too," he replied with a whisper.  
  
"Oh..." Jing-Mei said, feeling stupid.  
  
Dave sighed. He stood up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Jing-Mei questioned.  
  
"Check on some patients," Dave answered.  
  
"Oh, OK, I'll see you later, then," she said.  
  
"Yup," Dave replied, as he walked out the door.  
  
Jing-Mei stood up and looked around the room. What had she come in here for? Ah, yes, coffee. It was funny, though. She didn't really feel like coffee anymore.  
  
Do you think that I should make this a Dandi (Dave/Randi) or a Jinucci (Jing-Mei/Dave)? Review and speak your mind! 


	5. Staff Meeting

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG-13 for swearing  
  
Spoilers: Nah  
  
Disclaimer: If I could own Dave Malucci a.k.a. Erik Palladino, you bet your behind I'd take him! But, alas, I do not have that option. Therefore, I do not own Dave Malucci or any other of the ER staff, but I do own Anna and Sam Malucci, as well as a couple other people in the story.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Dave sighed for the millionth time that day. He was extremely tired after working on that MVA that had come in a couple hours ago. His patient hadn't made it and he was feeling horrible about it. He rubbed his eyes and wandered around, wondering if he could find an empty room to sleep in. He found that Exam 1 was empty so he crawled into a bed and closed his eyes with a blissful and thankful smile on his face.  
  
Flashback:  
  
"I told you to clean your room you little shit," Sam screamed.  
  
"Dad, please, I know, I was doing my homework and..." the 15-year-old begged.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you: I tell you to do something, then you fucking do it!" his father raged.  
  
Dave tried to keep back the tears. If he started to cry, his dad would get even more upset.  
  
"I'm sorry, Dad, it's all my fault, I know, I..."  
  
"You're damn right it's your fault! Lucky for you, Anna cleaned your room for you! Why can't you be more like your sister, damn it, she's four years younger than you and she still acts more mature than you," Sam snickered.  
  
Dave knew it was true. But he wasn't mad about it. He took pride in knowing his baby sister was so mature and grown up. However, it didn't really help in this situation.  
  
"I'm sorry, Dad, please, I'm sorry, I'll clean my room next time and I won't put it off..."  
  
"Oh, really? `You'll clean your room next time,'" Sam mocked, "you bet your sorry ass you will!"  
  
Dave felt a tear run down his cheek. He tried to brush it away before Sam saw it, but it was too late.  
  
"Oh, is little Davey crying now? Are you, you little runt?" Sam said, starting to get worked up again.  
  
Of course, Dave was no runt. He had muscles and if he wanted to, he could take his father out. But Dave wasn't stupid. He knew what his father could do and if he wanted to live, he'd control himself.  
  
"No, Dad, I'm just..."  
  
"Did you just tell me no? Did you just lie to me?" Sam yelled.  
  
Dave's eyes widened as he saw the hand coming toward his face. The impact of the hand to face stung Dave and the noise it made was sickening. Dave put his hand to his face and dropped to the floor, backing away.  
  
"Don't you run away from me, boy," Sam snarled. Sam stopped and a smile spread over his face, as if he had suddenly gotten an incredible idea. He walked out of the room, leaving Dave to think it was over for the afternoon. Dave sighed with relief. At least he wasn't bleeding this time. He looked at the stairs, but didn't see Anna. She was probably in her room, waiting for the right time to come out. Dave pushed himself up and when he was standing he looked up at the doorway, where his father was standing once again...with a baseball bat. With Dave's baseball bat. The same bat that had broken that window the previous year. Dave froze. He knew he should run, but the consequences he knew would come if he did kept him rooted to the spot. He bit his lip, contemplating whether or not he should do something. Before he could make a decision, he felt the whack of the bat hit him and pain shot across his left leg. He fell onto the floor again and held his injured leg. He couldn't tell  
if it was broken or not, but before he could make an accurate thought, the bat hit him again, this time hitting the arm that was holding his leg. He swung his arm back and felt the bat hit him yet again. He felt the pain in his ribs and it worsened as Sam swung the bat at his stomach over and over again. Dave fought the urge to scream bloody murder as Sam continuously used the bat to assault the young boy. It felt like ages before Sam finally stopped. He tossed the bat to the side and walked out of the house as if nothing had happened. Dave gave a loud groan of pain and grabbed his stomach with his good hand. The warm tears ran down his face and he curled himself into a ball. A couple minutes later he felt a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Anna...little Anna who was always there when he needed her. He smiled and gave her the thumbs up and she did the same. She helped him up, walked him to the couch, and called the ambulance.  
  
End Flashback  
  
Dave awoke. He bolted up, looked at his surroundings, and when he saw he in Exam 1 instead of his old home, he gave a huge sigh of relief. He ran his hands through his hair and left the room to work on some more patients. He looked at the clock. He was off in 3 hours, thank goodness. He couldn't wait to go home and just watch some TV. He flipped through the charts, looking for something good.  
  
"MALUCCI!" he heard.  
  
~Uh oh~  
  
He looked up nervously to see Kerry standing on the other side of the desk, tapping her foot and giving him a glare.  
  
"Hey, Chief," he said, trying to lighten her mood.  
  
Kerry was not amused.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
  
"Uh, finding a patient, Chief," Dave replied.  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you not to rift through the charts? All the patients need our help and if one doesn't appeal to you get over it." Kerry lectured.  
  
Dave winced inwardly. He hated the Chief's lectures. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  
  
"Don't worry, Chief, I get it. See? I'll start right now," he said, demonstrating by closing his eyes and grabbing a chart out of the bunch. He opened his eyes and smiled. "See, Chief? It's all good."  
  
"Mm hmm, well it better be `*all good*' later as well," she grunted.  
  
"Sure thing, Chief," he smiled. He walked away before Kerry could reply. He looked down at his chart and saw that he had picked a good one.  
  
~All right, headache, that's something I can handle~ Dave mused.  
  
He walked into Exam 2 and saw a teenage boy sitting on the bed.  
  
"Hey, man, how're you doing? I'm Dr. Malucci and I'll be taking care of you," Dave said, happily.  
  
"I'm Jamie," the teen replied.  
  
"Hey, Jamie, so how old are you?" Dave asked.  
  
"I'm 15 now, 16 in two months," the kid said, proudly.  
  
Dave smiled as he sat on the stool, thinking about how he had said the same thing when his 16^th birthday had neared.  
  
"So, Jamie, where are your parents?" Dave asked the boy.  
  
"My adopted parents are on the way...my real parents ditched me," he said, bitterly.  
  
Dave averted his eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, man," he offered.  
  
"Whatever," Jamie replied.  
  
Dave regretted the subject he had brought up, although he couldn't possibly have had any idea about the situation. He coughed to clear his throat and looked up at Jamie.  
  
"Well, it says here that you have a headache, is that right?"  
  
"Yeah, that's right," Jamie replied.  
  
"Is this a regular headache, or did you bang it on something," Dave teased.  
  
"I got hit with a baseball," Jamie replied, with a small smile.  
  
Dave frowned. "Uh, so you're a baseball player?"  
  
"Well, I'm not a team yet, but I'm going to try out for the school team," Jamie said, now fully smiling. He was obviously a baseball lover.  
  
"Oh, that's cool," Dave said, remembering his last encounter with a baseball bat.  
  
"Yeah, my dad got me this awesome baseball bat for part of my birthday present last year," Jamie said, happily.  
  
"That's great, man. Your dad sounds really great," Dave replied, with a twinge of jealousy.  
  
~Come on, Dave. You can't be jealous of this kid~ Dave thought.  
  
"Are you OK, doc?"  
  
Dave came back to reality. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. So, let's get your head checked out, huh?" he said with a forced smile.  
  
Jing-Mei watched Dave walk out of Exam 2. He looked very tired. Jing-Mei looked down at the chart she was holding, but she couldn't resist and looked back at Dave. He was talking to another patient in the hallway. She had never realized how handsome he really was. She had always been to busy avoiding him so she wasn't a victim of his catcalls. She felt so guilty. She had always wondered why he had taken abuse cases to heart all the time, of course, but she had never bothered to actually ask him. She never thought that he himself had actually been hit as a child. She figured that that was where his macho act came from. He needed to feel safe and the only way he could do that was act like the big man on campus.  
  
"Dr. Chen?" she heard a voice say.  
  
She bounced out of her train of thought and turned to look at the person.  
  
"Yes, Dr. Greene?" she asked.  
  
"Can you join me in the lounge, please," he inquired.  
  
"Uh, sure," she said, trying to think if she had done anything wrong. She couldn't think of anything so she followed him through the lounge doors to see Dr. Weaver, Carter, and Abby seated around the table. She furrowed her brow. She had a big feeling of déjà vu. Except this wasn't about Carter.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked.  
  
Nobody spoke. "We're worried about Dave," Weaver spoke up.  
  
"Why?" she asked. He hadn't been acting very abnormal, except for the fact that he wasn't joking around. But that was probably an effect of the fatigue he was showing, which was understandable, considering the long shift he had that day.  
  
"He's not acting like...well, Dave," Abby said.  
  
Jing-Mei rolled her eyes. They didn't even know the real Dave. None of them did. They didn't even know what his middle name was. They didn't even know if he had a middle name.  
  
"Look, he just admitted he was abused. Of course he's not going to be acting like himself. Nobody wants their friends to know that," Jing-Mei retorted, with an undetectable wince at the word "friend". Greene sighed.  
"Dr. Chen's right, we called this meeting for nothing," he said.  
  
Carter had remained silent, but at Mark's comment he looked up.  
  
"Maybe it's not nothing," he said, quietly.  
  
They looked at him. At that moment, Dave walked into the lounge. Seeing his co-workers in an apparent meeting, he wondered what was going on.  
  
"Sorry if I was interrupting anything...I was just taking a coffee break," he said.  
  
Kerry gave him a smile. "It's fine, Dave."  
  
~Why's Festus being so nice? Under normal circumstances, she'd be pissed~ he thought.  
  
Dave shrugged. "So, what's going on?" he asked, subtly.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Abby tried to cover.  
  
"Uh huh. And I suppose certain members of the staff, me not included, gathering for a secret meeting is just a coincidence?" he challenged. He drank his coffee, burning his tongue.  
  
His co-workers looked at each other nervously.  
  
"You know what? Forget about it," Dave said, finishing his coffee. He through the Styrofoam cup into the trash can and walked out the door.  
  
Kerry sighed. "Well, at least his sarcasm's back," she offered.  
  
Jing-Mei shook her head.  
  
"OK, everyone, let's get back to work," Mark said.  
  
They filed out of the lounge, going their separate directions. Jing-Mei stopped to watch Dave and Randi chatting up a storm at the front desk. She smiled. They looked adorable together.  
  
"Malucci, get to work, there are patients to see," Kerry ordered.  
  
Jing-Mei laughed. Some things never changed. 


	6. Reunion

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: Nope  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Dave, yadda, yadda, yadda...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Dave was incredibly nervous. He had gotten the call from Anna and was on his way to the airport to pick his little sister and his father up. They were on Flight 186 and were to land at Gate 18. He looked at his watch. He had gotten the rest of the day off, thanks to Carter who had offered to cover his shift. It was 3:30 p.m.  
  
~Crap~ he thought. ~The plane landed 10 minutes ago~  
  
He pushed the pedal and pushed the limit a couple of miles. It would take at least 20 more minutes to get to the airport in this traffic. He stopped at the red light and cursed. He hoped Anna and his father wouldn't be upset...especially his father. He shook the thought of his dad's old ways and thought about what Anna had said. Dad had changed. He didn't drink anymore. He'd been sober for four years. Dave bit his lip. He pushed the pedal again when the light changed.  
  
Anna Malucci tapped her foot. Her father and herself had been waiting at Gate 18 for 10 minutes until they decided to get something to eat. They found a Burger King and as her father went to order their food, she found a table. She was racked with worry. Had Dave gotten into an accident? Why was he late? She tried to calm herself down with the thought that Dave was just postponed at work and was on his way. She smiled when her father set down the food on the table. She opened the wrapping of her burger and took a bite. She sighed and couldn't help but let her mind wander back to Dave...  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Dave had finally gotten to the airport. Now he was looking for a place to park.  
  
"Aha," he said, victoriously as he saw an empty space. He turned into it, jumped out of the car, locked it, and ran toward the airport, nearly knocking over a group of people who were loading suitcases into their van. He apologized and continued to run to Gate 18. He ran past Burger King and looked into it. He stopped a couple shops down and thought about what he had seen. He turned back and looked into the window again. He saw his father with unmistakable large figure and dark, brown hair. He looked to his left. It was Anna. God, she had grown. Her hair was a stunning blonde, just like her mother's.  
  
Anna looked up. She sensed someone watching her. She looked out the window of the restaurant and saw that she was right. Her eyes widened and a huge grin spread across her face. It was...  
  
Dave ran inside the restaurant and toward the table.  
  
"Oh, my gosh, Dave!" Anna cried.  
  
He ran to her and picked her up, swirling her around in circles as she laughed with joy. He kissed her cheek and pulled her into a huge hug. It was a beautiful reunion.  
  
"Oh, Anna...look how you've grown," Dave laughed.  
  
Anna laughed too. "You look great, Dave," she complimented.  
  
Dave looked at his father and his smile faltered a little.  
  
"Dad," he said, stiffly.  
  
"David," his father replied, gruffly.  
  
Dave felt as if his father was about to hit him right then and there. But something happened that he didn't expect. His father pulled Dave toward him and into a hug. A tender, gentle hug. Dave was shocked for a minute. He put his arms around his father.  
  
"I missed you son," his father said, quietly, "and I'm so sorry."  
  
Dave felt the tears go down his face. His father pulled out of the hug and looked at him. Dave was afraid he would get lectured about crying, but saw his father was doing the same. Dave let out a small laugh.  
  
"I love you, Dad," he said.  
  
His father smiled widely. "I love you too, son," he replied.  
  
Anna looked on and smiled as well. She knew Dave wasn't going to completely forgive their father for what he had done, but she was sure he would eventually. His father was fine now. He was caring, loving, gentle, and kind. Everything a father should be. Dave would find that out soon. Right now, she was just happy that Dave hadn't rejected their dad's attempt of a small apology. 


	7. The Lost Boy Inside

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer: *screams* I OWN DAVE! *stops screaming* Turns around and pouts. Fine, I don't own Dave OR Erik Palladino...if I did, I'd be Erika Palladino...seriously. That's pretty trippy, haha! Yeah, whatever.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It all seemed so rushed. Dave pondered about what had happened a few minutes ago in the airport's Burger King. Had his father apologized for his actions when Dave was a child? The man who had abused the heck out of him...who had scarred him for life had apologized and hugged him? He stole a glance at his father, who was sitting in the back seat, through the review mirror. He had fallen asleep, as had Anna, who was sitting in the front with Dave. Dave shook his head. He was extremely confused. He knew that he didn't forgive his father...he was far from doing so. But he had felt so happy and...safe when Sam had pulled him into that hug. It was ironic. Dave sighed as he drove to his apartment.  
  
A little while later, Dave pulled into an open space in his apartment's parking lot. He honked his horn a couple of times and Anna and Sam awoke with a jerk. Anna looked around groggily, confused because she didn't recognize her surroundings. She looked at Dave, puzzled.  
  
"Where are we?" she asked.  
  
"Where do you think," Dave laughed, "we're at my apartment."  
  
"Well, sorry, Mr. Know-It-All," Anna said, teasingly.  
  
"Mr. Know-It-All, is it? I don't need to be Mr. Know-It-All to know where my own apartment is," Dave retorted with a smile.  
  
Sam chuckled to himself as he listened to his children's bickering. It had been a long time.  
  
Finally, Dave and Anna stopped picking on each other and Dave got out of the car to get his sister and father's luggage. He had been shocked at the airport. The most he carried was a backpack full of essentials: CD player, good music, a book or two, etc. Anna had brought four suitcases full of stuff along with three carry-ons. Sam had, to Dave's relief, only brought one suitcase and one carryon. He had questioned Anna about this and to his surprise, all four of the suitcases were filled with clothes.  
  
Anna had forced Dave to carry all of the suitcases, but to Dave's relief, his father had taken two of the suitcases off his load.  
  
"Third floor," he said to Anna as they stepped onto the elevator.  
  
Anna pressed the number 3 button and they waited for a couple of minutes until the elevator reached their destination. Dave's arms were starting to ache from the three suitcases and carry-ons he was holding and was beyond thankful when he heard the ding of the elevator, signaling that they had gotten where they were headed. Dave walked out of the elevator, but he couldn't handle the suitcases and dropped them. He groaned. He pulled his apartment keys out of his pocket and called to Anna, "Hey, sis, here take the keys. My apartment number is 342."  
  
Anna nodded, took the keys, and ran down the hallway in search of Dave's apartment. Dave laughed and rolled his eyes. He bent down to pick up the suitcases and when he stood up, he saw his father standing next to him.  
  
"Dad, you didn't have to wait for me, you could've gone with Anna," Dave told him.  
  
"I know, but I wanted to talk to you alone for a couple of minutes," Sam replied.  
  
Dave furrowed his eyebrows. He remembered the last time his father had told him that. It was after Dave had struck out on that would-be winning pitch at his last baseball game. Things hadn't gone over well and after that confrontation, Dave had quit the baseball team.  
  
"Uh, OK," Dave said, trying to hide his nervousness.  
  
"Son, I want you to know...I really am sorry," Sam said, sincerely.  
  
Dave averted his eyes from his father. "I know," he replied, quietly.  
  
"I was a drunk, Dave," his father started, "I...I was an out of control drunk."  
  
Dave cringed. He didn't want to be hearing this.  
  
"I didn't know what I was doing," he tried.  
  
Dave's head shot up.  
  
~That's no excuse to abuse your son~ Dave thought.  
  
Dave controlled his anger, though. "I...I know Dad," he said again.  
  
Sam opened his mouth to say something else, but at that moment Anna came hopping back to them.  
  
"So, are you guys going to stand there all day, or are you going to actually come in?" she asked.  
  
Dave smiled, silently thanking his sister for saving him from the conversation.  
  
"Yup, we're coming all right, sis," Dave said, smiling. He picked up his load of suitcases and with a newfound strength, managed to half run to his apartment where he threw the suitcases back down again.  
  
"Nice place you've got here, David," his father said.  
  
"Thanks," Dave replied, not feeling up to talking to his father. Suddenly, he remembered. "Oh, I almost forgot! I want you to meet a couple of people!"  
  
He ran to the phone and dialed a number while Anna and Sam watched on, curiously. He turned to them and smiled as the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey, it's Dave," he said to the voice on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Oh, hey, Dave! Are they here?"  
  
"Yup, can you guys come on down?"  
  
"Sure, we'll be there in two," the voice replied.  
  
"Great, see you in a few."  
  
"OK, bye!"  
  
Dave hung up the phone and looked at Anna, who was motioning for him to tell her more about who he was talking to.  
  
"Oh, I was talking to my friend, Brooke," Dave explained.  
  
Anna raised her eyebrows. "Friend?" she asked, slyly.  
  
"Yes, friend," he emphasized, "she's seventeen years old."  
  
"Oh," Anna said, seeming disappointed, "but you said `guys', meaning that there's more than one person..."  
  
Dave had to hand it to her. Anna was sharp. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.  
  
"I take it that's them," Sam said.  
  
Dave smiled and nodded. He walked over to the door and opened it.  
  
There stood Dave's good friends, Brooke and her boyfriend, Dylan, who was eighteen. Brooke was a beautiful blonde with stunningly deep, blue eyes. She was around 5'4 and she complimented her boyfriend well, and vice versa, who was 5'6 with spiky, bleached hair and deep green eyes. The couple walked in the door, hand-in-hand, and shot big, beautiful, pearly white smiles at Sam and Anna.  
  
"Hi, I'm Brooke," Brooke said, cheerfully, "and you must be Anna!"  
  
Anna nodded. Brooke stuck out her hand and Anna took it. As they were shaking hands, Brooke explained, "Yeah, Dave's told me a lot about you."  
  
Anna smiled at her brother. Brooke turned to Sam.  
  
"Are you Dave's father?" she asked.  
  
Sam nodded.  
  
~Bastard~ Brooke thought.  
  
She forced another smile and held out her hand. "I'm Brooke. It's very nice to meet you sir," she lied.  
  
"Likewise, young lady," Sam replied, taking her hand.  
  
Dylan stepped forward and introduced himself to Sam and Anna as well. They discovered that both Dylan and Brooke's parents had passed away and they had found and fallen for each other last year. After Dylan had his 18^th birthday, he had found an apartment for Brooke and himself to live in. Then they had met Dave, who had helped Dylan get a job and Brooke find a music school so she could have piano lessons, which was her passion.   
  
Anna understood Dylan and Brooke's pain when they talked about their deceased parents. She and Dave had been the same way...except it had hit Dave harder than her, she knew that. She remembered that after their mother had passed away, Dave had locked himself in his room for almost a week, only coming out when he was called for dinner or had to use the bathroom. He had taken the option of being excuse from school that week and Anna had begged him to come out of his room so she could see him...she had hated that week. Not being able to see her one and only brother had pained her heart more than she could imagine. Now, she looked at her older sibling and saw a hidden pain. It was hidden in his eyes. She knew he didn't like to show his emotions. He liked to hide behind a tough exterior, but inside, he was...a lost boy. 


	8. Emergency

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I love Erik/Dave, but I do not own him or any of the other ER staff. I own Anna, Sam, Brooke, and Dylan.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Dave yawned as he walked into the lounge. He stood in front of his locker and set his bag down. He opened his locker and looked at his locker mirror. He looked like a mess. He hadn't got a lot of sleep last night because his father, Anna, Brooke, Dylan, and himself had been up all night chatting the night away. Dave had been the first to leave the conversation, due to the fact that he had a 24 hour shift the next day, and left the others to talk until their demise. When he had woken up, he found his father on the pull out bed in the living room, Dylan on the floor, and his sister and Brooke in the guest room. He had taken a shower and gotten dressed and left for work on his bike, leaving his car in case Anna or his father needed it. Dave stuffed his bag into his locker and shut the door. He walked out of the lounge and saw Randi reading Cosmo. He walked over to the admit desk.  
  
"Hey, Randi," he greeted.  
  
Randi looked up from her magazine and when she saw it was Dave, she smiled and put it down. "Hey, Dave. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much...uh, my dad and little sister came in yesterday," he added.  
  
Randi tried not to let her smile fade. "Oh, um...how's it been so far?"  
  
"I don't know, I mean...my dad..." he started.  
  
Randi's eyes got wide. "He hasn't hit you has he?" she asked, concerned.  
  
"No, no, he hasn't, it's just...he apologized to me...about hitting me," he said, quietly, trying not to let anyone in on their conversation.  
  
Randi was confused. "Well...isn't that a good thing?" she asked, carefully.  
  
Dave shrugged. "I don't know, I just think..."  
  
"MALUCCI!"  
  
Randi cringed at the sound of Weaver's voice and cursed at her awful timing.  
  
"Yeah, Chief?" Dave asked.  
  
"I have a family of three asking for you," Weaver said, "They're waiting in chairs, so go help them."  
  
"Uh, sure thing, Chief," Dave replied.  
  
"Now!" Kerry exclaimed, causing Dave to jump slightly. She limped away, leaving Dave to exchange a glance with Randi.  
  
"Why me?" he sighed.  
  
Randi gave him a small smile.  
  
Dave made his way to chairs and saw who Dr. Weaver was talking about. It was Lana, Cassidy, and Amanda Davis. He had treated Lana almost a week ago. The only difference this time was Mr. Davis wasn't around.   
  
"Mrs. Davis?" he asked.  
  
Mrs. Davis looked up and when she saw Dave, she stood up with a relieved smile.  
  
"Dr. Malucci, thank goodness you're here," she said, breathlessly.  
  
"What's wrong, Mrs. Davis?" he asked, worriedly.  
  
"It's my husband, Roger, he...he's out of control," she said, near tears.  
  
Dave raised his eyebrows and looked at Lana and Cassidy, who looked up at him with a trace of fear in their eyes. He looked back at Mrs. Davis.  
  
"Mrs. Davis, what's going on?" he asked.  
  
A tear ran down Amanda's face. "He...he took a knife from the drawer...he started waving it around..." she said through tears.  
  
Dave's eyes widened. "Why didn't you call the police?" he asked, trying to stay calm.  
  
"He...he threatened that he would kill us if I did," she explained.  
  
Dave ran a hand through his hair. "How did you get away?" he questioned.  
  
"He chased me into the family room and...and the children came out," she said, gesturing to Lana and Cassidy, "he dropped the knife and walked over to them...he started screaming at them...they didn't even do anything..."  
  
"Mrs. Davis, how did you get away?" Dave asked again.  
  
"He slapped Lana and grabbed Cassidy and threw her into the wall...I picked up the knife...I threatened him with it and he backed away...I took the girls by the hand and led them out. I...I don't know," she cried.  
  
Dave took her hand. "Mrs. Davis, it'll be alright," he said, trying to comfort her, "do you know where your husband is?"  
  
Mrs. Davis shook her head. Dave sighed. He looked at Lana and Cassidy again, knowing what they were going through.  
  
"OK," Dave sighed, "I'll find you a room and you can rest in there. I'll talk to the police, Mrs. Davis, is that all right?"  
  
Mrs. Davis nodded. "I just don't want him to get near my children," she said.  
  
Dave lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Mrs. Davis, don't worry," he assured, "I won't let anything happen to you or your children."  
  
Mrs. Davis gave him a slight smile. "Thank you, Dr. Malucci," she whispered.  
  
Dave nodded. He knelt down on the floor so he could be face to face with Lana. He pulled the two girls to him. "You two have to take care of your mom, OK?" he said.  
  
Cassidy and Lana nodded. "We will, Dr. Malucci," Lana said, slurring at Dave's last name.  
  
Dave smiled at her. "You can call me Dave," he said.  
  
Lana smiled at him brightly. He turned to Cassidy and nodded. She nodded back. "Stay here, Mrs. Davis, I'll be right back," he said to Amanda. He ran back to Randi.  
  
"Randi, what rooms are open?" he asked.  
  
Randi must have heard the panic in his voice because she looked it up fast. "Um, Exam 2 and Curtain 1...why?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"OK, keep those rooms clear, got it?" he ordered, ignoring her question.  
  
"I'll try, Dave, but I can't promise you anything," she replied, a little annoyed.  
  
"Look, Randi, I'll explain later...just, please, I beg you, do everything in your power to keep those rooms empty."  
  
Before Randi could give him a reply, he ran back to the Davises and led them to the empty Curtain 1. Randi shook her head, confused. She shrugged and went back to her magazine, which had switched from Cosmo to Glamour.   
  
Dave was exhausted. Lana, Cassidy, and Mrs. Davis were asleep in Curtain 1 and it had been very hard to convince the Chief to let him keep the room empty for the three. He trudged into the lounge again and sunk down onto the couch. He closed his eyes. He rest was short lived, however, when he heard screams coming from outside the lounge. He got up and ran out the doors to see a man with a gun walking around the entrance. After a moment, he realized who it was...Mr. Davis.  
  
"Where is he, damn it!" Mr. Davis screamed. "Where are they!"  
  
"Who, sir, who are you looking for?" Kerry asked, calmly.  
  
"That damned doctor and my family!" the Mr. Davis screamed back. He pointed his gun at people as he searched for his wife and kids. He turned to where Dave was standing and made eye contact with him. Mr. Davis's eyes blazed with anger.  
  
"There you are!" he yelled, furiously. "Where are they? Where are my kids? Where's my wife?"  
  
Dave shook his head slowly. He turned his head and Randi looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. He turned back to Mr. Davis.   
  
"Mr. Davis, don't do this," he said, cautiously.  
  
"Shut up! Just tell me where my family is," he ordered.  
  
Dave shook his head again. "I can't do that, Mr. Davis," he answered.  
  
"Tell me, or I will shoot any and everybody in this hospital," he threatened.  
  
Dave looked around. He saw the patients who were frozen on the spot, he saw the Chief, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression, he saw Carter and Abby next to each other, they were clinging to each other's arms in fear, he saw Jing-Mei holding a chart and she made eye contact with him, her eyes showing her fear and worry, and finally he saw Randi, the woman he trusted, the woman he cared about, the woman he...loved.  
  
"Mr. Davis, please," Dave pleaded.  
  
"NO!" Mr. Davis screamed.  
  
Dave shuddered, thinking of his father. He pushed the thought out of his head.  
  
"Mr. Davis, if you do this, chances are you'll never see your family again," Dave told him.  
  
Mr. Davis glared at him. Dave saw one of the waiting patients behind Mr. Davis getting ready to jump him.  
  
"If you don't tell me where they are, I'm going to kill you," Mr. Davis threatened, as he raised his gun to meet Dave. Dave's eyes widened. He saw Mr. Davis's finger squeeze on the trigger. At that moment, the young man who was about to jump Mr. Davis pounced at him and Mr. Davis's hand flailed up, causing his finger to pull the trigger. The bullet went off and Dave heard people scream. He suddenly felt a burning pain in his right shoulder. He did a double take and looked down at his shoulder. He could see half his scrub top already soaked with his blood...he felt to his knees on the floor. He was feeling very woozy. He saw a blurry image rush to him and the image lay him on the floor. Although he couldn't see the person, he knew who it was. It was Randi. He didn't know how, but he knew. He could feel it. He felt her stroking his hair and he could slightly hear her calling his name, but he couldn't respond. Several more blurry images joined Randi and he felt himself being  
lifted up. He jolted as the pain in his shoulder was aggravated. After he was lifted onto the gurney, he could see the blur of lights as he was taken through the hall to Trauma 1. When they finally stopped, he couldn't bear to keep his eyes open anymore and he fell into a deep sea of blackness and emptiness. 


	9. Brother-Sister Bonding

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I've had pretty much the same disclaimer for the past 8 chapters…you figure it out.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Dave's eyes fluttered opened. He looked around the room, confused. He didn't recognize where he was…then it all came rushing back to him: Mrs. Davis, Lana, Cassidy, Mister Davis, a gun…a gunshot…he remembered the hot pain he had felt in his shoulder and he looked at it. He pushed back his hospital gown to reveal a large bandage. He groaned. He heard a shuffle and his head shot to the right. It was Anna. She had been sleeping and now she opened her eyes to see her older brother.  
  
"Anna?" he asked.  
  
"Hey, loser," she replied with a small smile.  
  
Dave gave a small laugh. "You know, when most people get hurt, their families support them," he said, jokingly.  
  
"Yeah, well, you're not most people, you're you," she retorted.  
  
Dave laughed. They spent the next minute looking down at each other.  
  
"How…how are the Davis girls?" Dave asked, remembering them.  
  
"Oh, they're fine, Dave," Anna replied, "they went back home. Mr. Davis was arrested."  
  
Dave nodded. He was glad to hear that. "Did anyone else get hurt?" he questioned.  
  
"No, everyone's fine."  
  
"How about that kid who jumped Davis?"  
  
"He's OK, too, with the exception of an apparent flu because he threw up on the floor…let me tell you something, it wasn't pretty."  
  
Dave laughed. "Yeah, well, when you actually get thrown up on enough times, you get used to the messes on the floor."  
  
Anna groaned and put her hand to her stomach. "Please, I do not want to know this," she joked.  
  
She knew Dave was trying to avoid asking how bad his gunshot wound was. She understood, though. Not in the physical way, but Dave was her brother…she knew him. He didn't care about himself. She knew plenty of people who thought that, but they were wrong. If they had seen how he took care of her when they were kids…they'd be biting their tongue.  
  
"So, where's everybody else?" Dave asked, shaking Anna from her train of thought.  
  
"Uh, they're outside," she told him, "they're hanging out with Randi at the front desk."  
  
"Oh," Dave replied, quietly.  
  
"They were in here earlier, bro," she assured.  
  
"Yeah, no, it's not that I don't think they were in here with me…" Dave trailed.  
  
"Don't worry, Dave, I'm not going to force you to talk about it," Anna offered, knowing that Dave didn't like to show his emotions.  
  
Dave sighed and closed his eyes. Anna squinted at the sight before her. In all of the time she had spent with Dave, he had never looked more helpless than he did now. She didn't know what to do. Dave had always been the strong one. He had always protect her, he stood up for her when people were teasing and harassing her…he had always been her hero. And he still was.  
  
"Dave?"  
  
He nodded his head to signal he was listening.  
  
"Uh, I'm going to go tell the others that you're awake, 'kay?" she said.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked at her. After a moment or two, he nodded again. "OK…you're going to come back, right?" he asked, worriedly.  
  
"Dave…of course I'm going to come back," she exclaimed, "I would never leave you if you needed me."  
  
Dave smiled. "Good, because I'm getting a little hungry…" he teased.  
  
Anna stood up and gave him a little punch on the arm. "You jerk," she teased back. She bent down, gave him a squeeze on his good shoulder, and kissed his forehead. She brushed back a lock of hair that was out of place and saw a scar. She remembered that scar…their father had been drunk once again and Anna had been in danger of getting hit until Dave had saved her and pushed her up into her room where he told her to lock the door and not come out until he came to get her. After that, their father had grabbed him and dragged him back downstairs. It had been over an hour before Dave had gone back to her room to comfort her. He had been soaked in his own blood…she shuddered. She wanted to get the thoughts out of her mind.  
  
"Anna?" Dave's voice called, jolting her back to reality once again.  
  
"Uh, yeah?" she asked, nervously.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Leaving, you big lug," she replied with a forced laugh, "I'll be back soon, OK?"  
  
"Yeah, OK…hey, Anna?" Dave said, stopping her before she walked out the hospital door.  
  
She turned. "Yeah, Dave?"  
  
He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She chuckled, amused that Dave was still using their little signal they had used when they were kids. She smiled back and returned the thumbs up. She gave a little wave and pushed open the door. She walked toward the admit desk where Randi, Brooke, Dylan, and Sam were standing. Dave was going to be OK and that's all that mattered to her. 


	10. A Matter of Trust

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: You know…  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Anna walked out of Dave's hospital room and rubbed her eyes. She had been sitting next to him for the past 8 hours while he slept. She had fallen asleep, but it wasn't enough to fill her quota. She stifled a yawn as she walked up to the admit desk, where Randi was sitting, reading another magazine.  
  
"Hey, Randi," Anna said.  
  
Randi looked up and when she saw Anna, she stood up.  
  
"How's Dave?" she asked.  
  
Anna smiled to herself. "He's doing fine," she replied. She looked around for a minute before realizing nobody was there. "Uh, where's everybody else?"  
  
"Oh, they went out to grab something to eat," Randi told her.  
  
Anna furrowed her brow. Randi noticed this and added, "Oh, don't worry, they're bringing something back for you."  
  
Anna chuckled, her confused expression disappearing. But her smile didn't last long and she looked at the tile on the floor. Randi looked her over, concerned.  
  
"Anna, what's wrong?"  
  
Anna looked up. "Nothing…just a little upset about Dave getting hurt," she lied.  
  
"Yeah, OK, I buy that…not," Randi retorted.  
  
Anna sighed. "Don't worry, nothing's wrong."  
  
"Look, Anna, I know we like, just met, but Dave's already told me about what happened to him when he was a kid…if he can trust me enough to tell me that, don't you think that maybe you can trust me enough to tell me what's on your mind?"  
  
"I…I don't know, it's just…" Anna said, trailing off.  
  
"Anna, look, nothing you tell me will ever be told to anyone else," Randi coaxed.  
  
"Do…do we have to talk about it here?" Anna asked.  
  
Randi shook her head and looked around. She saw Frank and ran over to him.  
  
"Hey, Frank, cover for me, I'll be back soon," Randi said in a rushed voice. She shoved her magazine into Frank's hand and ran off with Anna, leaving a very confused Frank holding the latest issue of Lucky.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Randi knew a private place to take Anna: the roof. As they waited for the elevator to get to the top, Randi could feel the tension between Anna and herself. When the elevator reached their destination, Randi led Anna onto the roof. She shivered. She had been in such a rush that she had forgotten how cold it was. Anna, however, was considerably dressed for the weather in her thick, long-sleeved blue sweater.  
  
"So, what's up?" Randi prodded.  
  
Anna sniffled. She turned to Randi, who thought she saw slight tears in the younger girl's eyes.  
  
"When I was in there, with Dave," Anna began, "I saw this scar. And all the memories, they all came flowing back…"  
  
Randi averted her eyes from Anna's. Anna started speaking again.  
  
"You said Dave told you…about what happened to him, right?"  
  
Randi nodded, still not looking at Anna. Anna nodded as well.  
  
"Yeah, well, did he tell you that our father never laid a finger on me?"  
  
Again, Randi nodded.  
  
"Did he tell you that when our father tried, he would stand up for me? That he would take a near-death beating for me because he loved me and was concerned about me?"  
  
At this new piece of information, Randi looked up to make eye contact with Anna, whose tears were now running freely down her young face.  
  
"Anna…" Randi started, but Anna held a hand up.  
  
"No, I need to get this out," she said, taking a big breath, "when I saw that scar…I remembered how he got it. Dad, he had been drunk again, of course, and Dave shoved me in the room and told me to 'lock my door and don't come out until I heard the front door slam'. I don't really know what happened between that time and the time Dave came up to my room to see if I was OK, I mean, I heard crashes and such, but it must have been really brutal because he came upstairs with his clothes soaked…in his blood. That scar…Dave never told me how he got it, but…"  
  
"Anna," Randi said again, "it's OK. Dave's OK, or at least he's going to be."  
  
"No," Anna exclaimed, hitting her fist on a wall, "it's [italic]not[/italic] OK! I came to Chicago expecting that everything between Dave and Dad was going to be all fine and peachy keen. I thought that Dave would just forget about it and forgive him and move on. And he did move on…physically. Not emotionally, Randi. He still hurts inside and I was too blind to see that."  
  
Randi didn't say anything. She walked over to Anna, who was trying her best not to cry again. Randi wrapped her arms around her and she smoothed her hair as she started to bawl freely again.  
  
"Shhhh, it's alright…it's going to be OK," Randi soothed.  
  
Anna took a deep breath and pulled away from her newfound friend.  
  
"Thanks, Randi," Anna said.  
  
"For what?" Randi asked.  
  
"Thanks for everything…listening to me, understanding…being there," Anna replied.  
  
Randi smiled. "Hey, you're Dave's sister. I'll be there for you anytime."  
  
Anna smiled too. "Let's go back downstairs. I'm sure your boss is wondering where you are."  
  
"Eh, probably not, but I think we should get back down anyway…I'm freezing!" Randi exclaimed.  
  
Anna laughed. She nodded towards the elevator. They linked arms and walked towards it, going back to the ER. 


	11. Take It Away, Jing-Mei

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: If you don't know my disclaimer by know, I feel sorry for you.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Jing-Mei poked her head into Dave's room.  
  
"Hey, Dave," she said, softly.  
  
He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Jing-Mei, what's up?"  
  
She chuckled and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her.  
  
"Nothing much…how you doing?"  
  
"Oh, I'm fine," he replied, still smiling, "thanks for coming to see me."  
  
"Hey, it's no problem," she said. "You know, you had us all worried about you. Even Benton and Corday."  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause an uproar," he joked.  
  
Jing-Mei laughed, but stopped when she saw a flash of pain on his face. However, it disappeared as quickly has she had seen it.  
  
"Are you sure you're OK?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he assured.  
  
"Yeah, right," Jing-Mei mocked.  
  
"Hey, you know, it's not easy," he said, though not defensively, "it still hurts a little."  
  
Jing-Mei frowned. "Have you told anybody?"  
  
"Why bother? I don't want to trouble them."  
  
"Dave, you know just as well as I do that when you're in pain, it's OK to ask."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but it doesn't even hurt that much, just small flashes and they go away really fast anyway."  
  
Jing-Mei sighed. "Yeah, OK," she said, giving in.  
  
Dave looked down. "So, have any interesting patients lately?"  
  
"Well, there was this one guy who was convinced that he was Rocky," she replied.  
  
Dave snickered. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Yeah, totally. He came in wearing the gloves and everything. When I tried to explain that Rocky is just a movie character, he tried to box my face in!"  
  
Dave shook his head, laughing. "I would've given anything to see that!"  
  
"Hey, that's my face getting boxed in," Jing-Mei said, pretending to be angry.  
  
"I'm just kidding," he replied.  
  
Jing-Mei nodded. She looked her watch. "Oh, I'd better get out there or Weaver's going to have a fit."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. Is she ragging on you now that I'm unavailable?"  
  
Jing-Mei chuckled at that. "She misses you too, Dave."  
  
"Yeah, well, everyone should," he replied with a charming smile.  
  
Jing-Mei looked at him for a minute, admiring his handsome face and charms.  
  
"Hey, you'd better get going," Dave said, breaking her from her thoughts.  
  
She shook her head. "Oh, yeah, thanks," she said.  
  
She stood up and looked at him again. She leaned down and gave a kiss on the lips. He stared up at her, surprised.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"I…I don't know…I'm sorry," she stammered, "I did it on an impulse…"  
  
He gave her a small smile. "I didn't mind."  
  
She felt a smile creep across her face as well. "Well…maybe we could do it again sometime."  
  
"I'd like that," he replied.  
  
"Good," she whispered. She cleared her throat. "Uh, I'll see you later, Dave."  
  
"Yeah, I'll see ya…"  
  
She walked out the door, leaving Dave to look after her. She leaned her head on the wall and put her hand up to her lips. She smiled. She straightened up and walked off to find a patient, not knowing that Randi was looking from Jing-Mei to Dave's room with a look of regret and sorrow on her face.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hey, guys. I hope you liked this installment. The next chapter will probably be up by today or tomorrow because this one was so short. Please review because I want to know what you think! 


	12. This Guy Named Dr. Dave

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: If you don't know my disclaimer by know, I feel sorry for you.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He takes my breath away  
  
This guy named Dr. Dave  
  
He's the man that I want  
  
The one that I desire  
  
Just taking one glance at him  
  
Makes my heart set on fire  
  
He's fit and he's tough  
  
I will never get enough  
  
He's quick with a save  
  
This guy…named Dr. Dave  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"Hey, Randi," Dave said, awaking from his slumber  
  
Randi looked up in surprise and closed her notebook, which contained her poem that she had just been writing. "Hey, I didn't think you'd be awake so soon," she said with a small smile.  
  
"What were you doing?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing, just, uh, you know, seeing what's in this old notebook that I can shred," she replied, holding up her notebook.  
  
"Oh…so, how's the ER? Everybody busy?"  
  
"Hell yeah," she laughed, "but you know, everyone misses you."  
  
"Yeah, so I've been told," he replied.  
  
Randi cleared her throat. "So, uh, what's going on with you and Dr. Chen?" she asked, trying not to show what she thought she already knew.  
  
"What do ya mean?"  
  
"Well, rumor has it that you two shared a little kiss in here," she lied.  
  
"Really? How did anybody find out about that? We were in here alone…" Dave trailed.  
  
Randi gave a small nod. "So you did kiss, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, you know, it was awesome, Randi, do you know how long that's been a fantasy of mine? Although, in the fantasy, I wasn't stuck in a hospital bed," he joked.  
  
Randi gave a wheezing laugh. "Uh, yeah, that's great, Dave, I'm happy for you."  
  
Dave frowned. "Randi…what…what's the matter?"  
  
Randi sniffed. "Oh, nothing, I'm just a little tired, you know?"  
  
"Are you sure that's all?" Dave asked, concerned.  
  
"Of course, Dave, don't worry about me, I'm fine," she replied, trying to sound more cheerful. "So, when are they letting you get out of here and get back to work?"  
  
Dave brightened at the change of subject. "Well, my shoulder ain't that bad, so I convinced them to let me out the day after tomorrow!"  
  
Randi lifted her eyebrows. "The…day after tomorrow? Isn't that a little early, Dave?"  
  
"What are you talking about? I'm fine, I can handle it," Dave replied, defensively.  
  
"Well, I…I know that Dave, it's just…does your shoulder know that?"  
  
Dave looked at her, confused. "Uh…what?"  
  
"Never mind," Randi grunted.  
  
"Look, you don't have to worry. The Chief made me promise to come to her if my shoulder started hurting," he told her.  
  
"And do you really plan on doing that? Or are you going to put on your pretend big and strong boy act and pretend that everything's OK when it's really not, just like you put that act on every day to hide the fact that your father hit you," Randi said, angrily.  
  
Dave looked shocked at her outburst and averted his eyes from hers. Randi instantly realized and regretted what she had said.  
  
"Dave, I…"  
  
"Can you please go? I'm, uh, feeling a little tired, so I should get some rest."  
  
"Dave, come on, I'm…"  
  
"Randi! Can you just leave?" he said, sharply, without looking at her.  
  
Randi gave a silent nod of agreement and stood up. She walked out the door, leaving Dave to look after her. He was about to close his eyes when he noticed the blue notebook Randi had accidentally left on the seat next to his bedside.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Sorry about this sucky chapter, but I'm totally having writer's block! I have this whole scene played out in my head, but I don't know when the right time to get to it is. Oh, well, that poem that Randi wrote was played in my head the other day. OK, I must go, it's time for skool. When I come home, I'm writing another chapter! 


	13. Pomaika'i, Mana'oi'o, and Mana'olana

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the ER staff, but I do own Hope, Faith, and Ben.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Dave stretched. He had been in Exam 3 taking a nap. He sat up and turned on the light. He looked at his watch…6:00 p.m. It was his first day back since the shooting and he had been really hyped up until a trauma came in, and two more after that. Then he'd just gotten tired and got permission from Kerry to get some rest. He shook his head to get rid of the rest of the sleep that was threatening to take over again. He stood up and walked out of the room.  
  
"Malucci, I see you're done with your sleeping," Mark called to him.  
  
"Uh, yeah, Dr. Greene, why?" he replied.  
  
"There are three kids down in chairs waiting for a doctor…why don't you go check them out?"  
  
"But Dr. Greene, I…"  
  
"Now, Malucci," Greene ordered, handing Dave the chart.  
  
Dave sighed in defeat and marched to chairs. He looked at the chart and furrowed his brow.  
  
"Uh, is there a Pa…la…ni family here?" he asked.  
  
A boy, who was around 18 years old, with very tan skin stood up. "Yeah, we're the Palanis," he said.  
  
"OK, good, you can follow me," Dave said, beckoning to the boy who was sporting two girls, who were very tan as well.  
  
They all followed Dave into the room Dave had just been in, Exam 3.  
  
"I'm Dr. Malucci, or, Dr. Dave, if you'd like. What seems to be the problem?" Dave asked as Haleh walked in.  
  
"Well, my sisters are sick…I think it's the flu," the boy replied.  
  
"Uh-huh, and what's your name?" Dave asked, looking over the chart.  
  
"Ben," he replied, turning to look at one of the girls as she let out a big sneeze.  
  
Dave looked up. "And what are your names?" he asked the girls.  
  
"I'm Mana'oi'o Pua," one girl, about 15 said.  
  
"And I'm Mana'olana, Dr. Hiwaniwa," the other said, who was around 14.  
  
Dave raised his eyebrows in surprise. He turned to Ben, who was grinning. "Okay, obviously I'm missing something," he said.  
  
Ben laughed. "Yeah, uh, we're in Chicago visiting our relatives. We're from Hawaii," he explained.  
  
"Oh, well, what did they say?"  
  
"Mana'oi'o Pua means Faith," the first girl said.  
  
"Mana'olana means Hope and Hiwaniwa means Dave," the second girl added.  
  
"Oh, I see," Dave said, "so your names are Faith and Hope?"  
  
Both girls nodded. Dave smiled. "Those are beautiful names."  
  
They blushed. "So, you're all from Hawaii, right?"  
  
They nodded again. "That's probably the problem. You're just not used to the temperature, but we'll run some tests to be sure," Dave said.  
  
"Thanks, Dr. Dave," Ben said, sounding relieved.  
  
"So, where are your parents?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, they're out shopping. All three of us wanted to go sight-seeing instead, but I brought them here when Hope starting throwing up. Faith threw up in the cab and the driver kicked us out, so we had to catch another one."  
  
Dave chuckled as he wrote instructions on the chart. "Yeah, well, some of the people in Chicago can we really rude sometimes," he told them.  
  
"Hey, Dave?" Randi asked, poking her head in the door.  
  
Dave looked up, slightly irritated. The anger he had towards Randi since their last conversation hadn't quite worn off. Yet, the things he had read that were in her notebook had confused him even more. Randi had remembered later that she had left her notebook in his room and she had went back in about an hour later to get it.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Your dad and sister are looking for you," she informed him.  
  
"Oh, uh, OK, thanks," he replied, wondering why they were there.  
  
Randi looked as if she were going to say something else, but she closed her mouth and left. Dave looked back at his patients.  
  
"Who was that?" Ben asked.  
  
"Oh, that's Randi, she's one of our desk clerks," he replied.  
  
"Ah, Ms. Ka-Lehiwa," Ben said, knowingly.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Ka-Lehiwa is Hawaiian for Randi," Ben informed.  
  
"Oh," Dave said. He was beginning to become intrigued with this. He looked at Faith and Hope and they giggled. "Hey, how about this: when I come back to check on you, you three can teach me some of this Hawaiian name stuff. What do you say?"  
  
The three siblings looked at each other and back at Dave.  
  
"I think we could work something out, Dr. Dave," Hope said, smiling.  
  
"Great," Dave replied, returning the smile. "Well, I have to go meet with some people, but I'll be back in a little while. Don't wander off anywhere, OK?"  
  
"Yes, sir, Dr. Hiwaniwa," Faith replied.  
  
Dave laughed and gave a little wave as Haleh and himself exited the room.  
  
"Well, you've sure established a good relationship with those kids, Dave," Haleh commented, nudging him.  
  
Dave smiled. "It's a gift." He walked toward the admit desk, where Randi, Anna, and his father were chatting about something.  
  
  
  
"Hey, guys, what are you doing here?" Dave asked as he approached the three. He noticed as Randi shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Well, we wanted to make sure your schedule's clear for tonight," Anna said.  
  
"Why?" Dave questioned. What was so important?  
  
"Duh, it's your birthday, genius!" Anna replied, sarcastically.  
  
A look of recognition spread across Dave's face. It was his birthday…he had completely forgotten.  
  
"Don't tell me you forgot your birthday, son," his father added.  
  
"Well, dad, I'm not really into my birthdays because my childhood ones haven't been that great…or have you forgotten?"  
  
His father's smile melted into a frown. Dave sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked at Randi and Anna. Both of them were trying to avoid eye contact with both men.  
  
"Uh, anyway, I have a clear schedule, so what do you plan on doing?" Dave said, breaking the silence.  
  
"Um, we were thinking a birthday dinner," Anna said, still avoiding eye contact.  
  
"Yeah, sure, that sounds great," Dave replied, quickly. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey, Randi, why don't you come along?"  
  
Randi looked up at him surprised. "Really? I…I mean, are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, it'll be fun, just make sure it's after 6:00 because that's when I get off." Dave replied. "Oh, do you guys mind if I invite some other people, too?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure, that's fine," Anna replied, cheerfully.  
  
"Great, thanks," Dave replied. "Well, I have to get going, I've got patients to see."  
  
"Okay, big bro, see ya tonight!"  
  
"Yeah, I'll see ya," Dave answered, looking at his father, who remained silent. Dave looked down.  
  
"Bye, dad," he said quietly, before rushing away, not looking back to see if he had responded.  
  
  
  
He quickly walked back to Exam 3 when he walked into someone. Both fell to the ground.  
  
"What the he…" Dave started, before seeing who he had walked into. "Oh, Jing-Mei, I'm so sorry."  
  
Jing-Mei pushed herself up and laughed. "Dave, it's okay, I'm fine."  
  
Dave stood up, trying to ignore the pain that was shooting through his shoulder. He gave her a small smile. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, thanks, though," Jing-Mei assured. She started to walk away.  
  
"Jing-Mei, wait," Dave called. She turned and looked at him. "Uh, well, it's my birthday today, and my sister and father have decided to throw me a happy birthday dinner, so would you like to come?"  
  
"Uh, sure, that'd be great! Who else is going to be there?"  
  
"Well, Randi is, and I'm sure Brooke and Dylan are going to be there…"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Oh, Brooke and Dylan are a couple of people who live in my apartment complex. We hang out a lot," Dave explained as Jing-Mei nodded in understanding. "I'm not really sure who else is going to be there."  
  
"Well, I'm sure it'll be fun. Where are we going?"  
  
"Uh…you know what? I don't even know," Dave answered.  
  
Jing-Mei laughed. "Well, I get off at 5:00. How about you?"  
  
"I get off at 6:00," he replied.  
  
"Okay, well, it sound great." Jing-Mei said, smiling. "Hey, we'd better get going, or Weaver will have us both."  
  
"Yup, the Chief's probably on her way," Dave replied, not wanting Jing-Mei to leave. As if on cue, Weaver came walking through the hallway.  
  
"Dr. Chen, Malucci, stop talking and get to work," she ordered as she continued walking.  
  
"Yes, Chief," Dave said, saluting. He looked and Jing-Mei who rolled her eyes. He laughed. "Okay, see you later."  
  
"Yeah, bye," Jing-Mei replied before walking off.  
  
Dave sighed and walked back towards the Hawaiian kids.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
In case you didn't realize, the name Pomaika'i in the chapter title is the Hawaiian name for Ben. This story will be continued in Remember 2. 


	14. Birthday Bashed

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Dave sat at the head of the table and looked around, rather uncomfortably. For his birthday, his sister and Brooke had gotten reservations at some restaurant he'd never even heard of before. Seated around him were his father, Anna, Brooke, Dylan, Jing-Mei, Randi, Abby, and Carter. He had invited others, but they had claimed to have other plans. Of course, he figured they just didn't want to have anything to do with him outside of the ER. He looked up as a pretty brunette waitress came up to them.  
  
  
  
"Hi, I'm Shannon and I'll be your waitress for this evening. Can I get you some drinks or appetizers?"  
  
Dave watched her as she took the drink orders. When she looked at him, she smiled.  
  
"And you, birthday boy?" she said, teasingly.  
  
Dave looked at her, confused.  
  
She gave a small laugh. "She told me," she explained, motioning to Anna.  
  
He smiled and nodded in understanding. "Uh, well, I'll just have a Coke, please?"  
  
"Sure thing," she said, writing down his order. "Do you guys want any appetizers?"  
  
The group shook their heads. "Okay, well, I'll be back in a minute with your drinks and then I'll take your food orders," she said as she walked away.  
  
  
  
Dave sighed. He had a horrible feeling that this night wouldn't go right. His birthdays never had.  
  
"So, Dave, how does it feel to be a year older?" Abby asked.  
  
He looked up at her and gave a small smile. "I don't know…I don't feel any different."  
  
Abby smiled back at him. "Yeah, well, don't worry, it'll kick in."  
  
"Gee, thanks," Dave said, sarcastically. The group laughed. At that moment, Shannon walked up with a tray full of drinks. She set each drink down in front of the person who ordered it.  
  
"Thanks," Dave said, as she set his down.  
  
"So, do you all have your orders ready?" Shannon asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'll have the…" Sam started. Dave drowned the voices out and sighed. He shut his eyes for a moment and opened them again, surprised to find that everybody at the table but him had already ordered.  
  
"And you?" Shannon asked.  
  
Dave gave her his order.  
  
"Right, well, I'll be back with your food in just a bit."  
  
Dave leaned back in his seat. There was a silence at the table.  
  
"Uh, so Dave, how's your shoulder doing?" Brooke asked, breaking the silence.  
  
Dave looked at her. "Oh, it's, uh, it's doing fine."  
  
"It doesn't hurt anymore?" she asked, skeptically.  
  
Dave paused, thinking about his answer. "Nope," he lied.  
  
Brooke gave a small nod. She knew he was lying.  
  
Dave drummed his fingers on his table.  
  
"David, don't do that, it's rude," Sam said to him, quietly. Dave immediately stopped. The last time he had defied his father, it hadn't gone well.  
  
"So, Dave, I hear there's something going on with you and Deb?" Carter asked, in attempts to start a conversation. He had chosen a bad topic.  
  
Randi rolled her eyes and Jing-Mei smiled a little.  
  
"Uh, well, I…" Dave started.  
  
"John, that's none of your business," Jing-Mei said, teasing her close friend.  
  
"So…is that a yes or a no?" Carter prodded.  
  
"Well, that depends. I'd like the answer to be yes," Jing-Mei hinted. Dave looked at her, slightly surprised.  
  
"Bitch," Randi whispered, under her breath.  
  
Jing-Mei turned her head sharply toward her. "Excuse me, Randi? What was that?"  
  
"I said bitch," Randi said, loudly, causing a few heads to turn their direction.  
  
Dave ran his hands through his hair and groaned to himself. He didn't need this on his birthday.  
  
"Oh, bitch, is it? What, are you jealous that I can get Dave and you can't?" Jing-Mei challenged.  
  
"Jealous? Of you? Ha, that's a good one," Randi retorted, "besides, you couldn't get Dave if your life depended on it."  
  
"You can stop talking about me like I'm not here now," Dave offered, but the ladies ignored him.  
  
"You know what," Jing-Mei continued, "I could wrap Dave around my finger if I wanted to."  
  
"Yeah, right, whatever," Randi replied.  
  
Dave rolled his eyes, but became alarmed as the two women pushed their chairs back and stood up. Dylan stood up as well. "Ladies, please, calm down…" he began.  
  
Jing-Mei and Randi looked at him. "Shut up," Randi ordered. He obeyed and took his seat.  
  
"Maybe that's your problem, Randi. Your ordering men around scares them away."  
  
Randi's eyes blazed and she threw a punch at Jing-Mei, missing, as the others stood up and jumped away from the table. Randi crawled under the table to get to Jing-Mei.  
  
"Randi, stop," Dave tried to call to her, but she had already gotten to Jing-Mei. The two began to engage in a hair-pulling fight, just as Shannon came walking up, carrying their food. They walked into Shannon, sending the food flying everywhere. The two women ignored it and continued their match as Shannon was knocked to the floor.  
  
Dave shook his head. He couldn't take it anymore. He ran out of the restaurant, hearing his name being called by his father and Carter, but he didn't stop. He kept running until he was completely out of breath. He stopped in an alley and leaned against the brick wall, panting. His birthday never failed to disappoint. A fight always broke out in his honor and he was sick of it. He felt the tears running down his cheek and he rubbed his eyes to stop them. He hated to cry. He stood up straight and took a deep breath. He turned and came face-to-face with another wall. He was at the end of the alley. He didn't even remember how he had gotten in an alley. All he knew was that he felt extremely tired. Suddenly, he felt a hand on the shoulder that had been shot and he gave a groan of pain. He felt himself being turned around to see a guy. He was little shorter than Dave, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties, and was dressed very raggedly.  
  
"Gimme your wallet," the kid said, roughly.  
  
Dave closed his eyes and bit his lip. "Look, I only have a few dollars…"  
  
"Then give it to me," the kid replied.  
  
"Listen, kid, I…" Dave started.  
  
"You don't want to mess with me, man, I'm warning you," the boy told him, nodding toward his other hand. Dave looked down at it to see a metal bat.  
  
~Oh, great, another baseball bat~ Dave thought.  
  
"Please, just leave me alone," Dave begged.  
  
"You wanna do this the hard way? Fine," the boy replied. He jabbed the bat into Dave's stomach and he doubled over. The boy frisked Dave when he dropped to the ground and grabbed his wallet, along with his gloves, jacket, watch, and rings. He didn't stop there, though. He looked as though he was about to leave, but he took another glance at Dave and began kicking at him. He used the bat again, slamming it over the fallen doctor over and over again, while Dave groaned at every kick and hit. Finally, Dave began to fall into the deep sleep and the boy decided it was time to leave before he got caught. He ran out of the alley, leaving Dave in the cold.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I know this chapter was bland, and the Randi vs. Jing-Mei thing took place simply as a reason for Dave to leave. I know it's not their actual character, and I just wanted to clear that up before I get flamed for it. 


	15. The Search

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Sam Malucci was incredibly worried. By the time the fight between Jing-Mei and Randi had been broken up by Dylan, Carter, and himself, he had finally realized that Dave had left. Carter and Jing-Mei had gone in one direction to look for him, Randi and Abby in another, Brooke and Dylan in another, and finally, Anna and himself in another. Although it couldn't be any farther from the truth, Sam felt as if he had already searched all of Chicago for his missing son. Anna was as worried as Sam and was jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean trapped in a jar.  
  
"Dad, what if he's hurt?" Anna exclaimed.  
  
"Honey, don't worry, I'm sure he's fine," Sam said. He was lying. He could feel that Dave was in a bind and he didn't want anything more than to find him. Sam stopped on the sidewalk they were walking on a ran his hands through his hair, his mind racing with the possibilities. Anna waited for her father to regain his strength and they set off again.  
  
  
  
  
  
Carter and Jing-Mei weren't having much like either. Carter shot small glances at Jing-Mei's worry-racked face.  
  
"It's our fault, John," Jing-Mei said, "if Randi and I hadn't had that stupid fight, he wouldn't have left."  
  
Carter remained silent, not knowing how to respond.  
  
"Well? Isn't this the time when you say it's not our faults?" Jing-Mei prompted.  
  
Carter looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Deb, you know it's not your fault. You don't need me to tell you that."  
  
Jing-Mei shook her head. "I like him, John, I do. I always thought he was just an ignorant jackass until…"  
  
"Until he told the ER how he was abused," Carter finished.  
  
Jing-Mei nodded. "I mean, his dad seems so nice now. I can't see him doing that, especially to Dave."  
  
Carter nodded in agreement. "Yeah, well, people can surprise you."  
  
"You're telling me. I mean, how can anybody do that in the first place?"  
  
"Come on, Deb, you know just as well as I do that it happens every day to innocent kids."  
  
"I know, but Dave works with us…it's just…it's different. When you look at Dave, he seems so tough on the exterior, but inside…I don't know," Jing-Mei told her friend.  
  
They walked in silence, looking around for any sign of Dave.  
  
  
  
"I can't take this, Abby, I really can't," Randi said, "I won't be able to live with myself if Dave is hurt because of me."  
  
"It wasn't just you," Abby reminded her, "it was Jing-Mei, too. And if wasn't you or Jing-Mei's fault that he left."  
  
"Oh, cut the crap, Lockhart," Randi replied, "if it hadn't have been for us, we'd probably all be eating cake right now."  
  
Abby chuckled at that. "Randi, I'm sure he's fine. He's probably sitting at home watching TV and we're out here for nothing," she said, trying to convince Randi and herself.  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Randi muttered. "But if he is hurt, I'm going to kill him after he gets better."  
  
  
  
"Dylan, what do you think happened to him?" Brooke asked her boyfriend.  
  
Dylan shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know, baby. I hope he's okay, though."  
  
Brooke nodded, looking around frantically, searching for the guy who was like an older brother to her. Dave was like a brother to Dylan too. He had helped Dylan find his first job and had helped him get that apartment. In Dylan's point of view, Dave had given him a life. He just prayed that Dave still had his.  
  
Suddenly, both Dylan and Brooke stopped in their tracks. They looked at each other. Something didn't feel right. They turned their heads and found themselves looking down an alley, looking at a body that was laying at the end of it.  
  
"Oh, my gosh, Dylan, we have to help that guy!" Brooke exclaimed, already running toward the mangled person. Dylan followed her. Being more athletic than his girlfriend, he quickly got the running advantage and reached the fallen body first. Brooke was right at his heels and helped him turn the body over. The sight of who it was shocked them. Brooke gasped, stood up and backed away. She ran her hands through her hair.  
  
"No, no, no," she repeated continuously as she began to cry uncontrollably. Dylan was speechless as he looked at Dave's bloody face. He shook out of his trance and pulled out of his cell phone. He walked over to Brooke and she put her head on his shoulder, spilling tears onto his jacket. He stroked her hair for a second before dialing 911.  
  
"Hello? Yeah, I have an emergency…yeah, my friend was beaten very badly…we're in alleyway on, uh, Maxwell Street," Dylan said, quickly. He was cut off by the sound of screeching brakes. A car had run into a person in the street, causing another car to run into that one. Dylan's eyes widened. "Um, miss? You might want to add some more ambulances." 


	16. Happy Birthday

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
Dr. Weaver limped into the ER to start her shift. She walked into the lounge and took of her coat, gloves, and hat and replaced them with her lab coat. She walked back out and looked around.  
  
"Where is everyone?" Kerry asked Frank, who was sitting at the computer.  
  
Frank looked up. "Oh, Dr. Chen, Malucci and Carter's shifts are over. Abby's too," Frank explained, "I'm covering for Randi because they all went out for dinner with Dave."  
  
Kerry nodded. "What about Dr. Greene?"  
  
"He's here."  
  
"And Gallant?"  
  
"He's here, too."  
  
"Dr. Lewis?"  
  
"Listen, Dr. Weaver, do you just want me to list everyone who's here for you?"  
  
"Sorry, Frank. Are there any traumas coming in?"  
  
"Not that I know of."  
  
Kerry sighed. She looked around and spotted Susan at the vending machines. She hobbled over to her.  
  
"Hello, Susan."  
  
Susan turned. "Oh, hi, Kerry. Did you just get on?"  
  
Kerry nodded. "How about you?"  
  
"I'm off in...," Susan paused, "six hours." She sighed. "I hate having the night shift."  
  
"Yeah, well, I know what you mean," Kerry sympathized.  
  
Susan threw a quick smile at her.  
  
"So, were you invited to Malucci's party?" Kerry asked.  
  
Susan bent down to grab her Coke and she and Kerry walked off to find some patients.  
  
"Yeah, but you know, I had my shift and everything. I would've gone, you know," Susan said, smiling.  
  
"Well, I hope they're off having a good time," Kerry replied, sarcastically.  
  
Susan laughed.  
  
Then, a voice from the two-way distracted them. Kerry and Susan ran over to the radio.  
  
"County, are you there?" a paramedic asked.  
  
"We're here, what do you got?" Kerry replied.  
  
"We have four major traumas over here, MVA and a 30 year old beaten male, what can you take?"  
  
"We can take 3 of them," Kerry replied, looking at Susan, who nodded.  
  
"All right, be prepared, we're almost there," the paramedic said.  
  
Kerry got off the radio. "Okay, people, we've got three traumas coming in and I'm going to need everybody's help," she yelled, causing Gallant, Mark, Lydia, Haleh, and Chuny go running to the ambulance bay. Kerry sighed and she and Susan followed. After a few minutes, three ambulances came pulling in. Gallant, Susan, and Haleh ran to the first, Lydia and Mark to another, and Kerry and Chuny to the last.  
  
"Give me the bullet," Kerry said, while wheeling the gurney into Trauma 2.  
  
"Thirty year old white male, found without a jacket in an alley. He was severely beaten and it looks like he was mugged," the paramedic offered.  
  
Kerry nodded and looked over to the next room, where Susan and Gallant were frantically trying to repair the man with them.  
  
"What happened to the others?" she asked the paramedic, who hadn't left the room yet.  
  
"Witnesses say a guy ran out onto the road and a car hit him, causing another car to run into that one," he replied.  
  
Kerry nodded again and looked down, seeing the face of the patient for the first time. Her eyes widen.  
  
"Oh my god," she whispered. "Chuny, it's Dave."  
  
Chuny turned from the monitors in shock, looking down at him, her eyes widening as well. She looked up at Kerry. Kerry looked back into the other trauma rooms, seeing that four doctors weren't enough for these traumas.  
  
"Chuny, I need you to page Carter, Chen, and Abby, get Dave a head CT and call the OR for a surgical consult," she ordered.  
  
Chuny nodded and rushed to the phone.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, Randi, Carter, Jing-Mei, and Abby rushed through the ER doors, followed by Sam and Anna. Kerry spotted them from the trauma room.  
  
"Carter, Abby, I need you two in here. Chen, go help Mark," she barked at them.  
  
Jing-Mei nodded and rushed into Trauma 1, while Abby and Carter ran to help Weaver.  
  
"What happened, Dr. Weaver?" Abby asked, quickly.  
  
"He was beaten in an alley. He was found without his jacket and wallet, but we don't know what else is gone…" Weaver started. "It's Dave."  
  
"Oh, no," Carter said, while Abby remained speechless.  
  
"Come on, you two, it won't help Dave if you just stand there."  
  
The heart monitor began to beep faster.  
  
"Dr. Weaver, he's going into V-fib!" Chuny exclaimed.  
  
"Get the paddles," Carter said, rushing to Dave's side. Abby grabbed the paddles and handed them to Carter.  
  
"Okay, charge to 100…one, two, three…clear!" Carter yelled.  
  
"No change," Chuny called out.  
  
"Charge to 150…one, two, three…clear!"  
  
"Still no change," Chuny called.  
  
"Again, charge to 200…one, two, three…clear!" Carter yelled, becoming anxious.  
  
"No change," Chuny said again.  
  
"Damn it, Dave, come on…charge to 250…one, two, three…clear!"  
  
"We've got a sinus-rhythm," Abby reported, relieved.  
  
Carter sighed in relief.  
  
"Where's that surgical consult?" Kerry asked.  
  
"They're sending Dr. Corday down," Chuny replied.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, out in Chairs, Sam, Randi, and Anna were met by Brooke and Dylan.  
  
"Where have you guys been?" Anna asked the couple.  
  
Brooke sniffled. "We…we were talking to the police."  
  
"What? Why?" Anna asked, confused.  
  
"We found him," Dylan said, quietly. "We found Dave."  
  
Anna raised her eyebrows. "Well, where is he?"  
  
Dylan looked up at her. "You mean, they didn't tell you? He's in one of those trauma rooms."  
  
"What?" Anna whispered.  
  
"We fou…found him in…in an alley," Brooke told her, faltering, "he…he was beaten…and they…they stole his things, and…"  
  
Dylan pulled her to him and she sobbed onto his shirt. He looked at Anna, who was frozen in her seat. Randi and Sam had had the same reaction.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Time of death, 20:21," Susan reported. She sighed and looked at Gallant, who didn't say anything. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked him.  
  
He looked at her and gave her a small nod. "I guess."  
  
He looked back down at the man. Haleh walked over and began to pull out the man's things. A wallet fell to the floor and Michael bent down to pick it up. It had fallen open and Gallant's eyes furrowed in confusion. Susan noticed this.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked. He met her eyes and turned the wallet towards her, showing her the picture on the driver's license. She raised her eyebrows and looked at the other man's face.  
  
"Dr. Lewis, Dr. Gallant, what is it?" Haleh asked.  
  
"This man has Dr. Dave's wallet…but it's not Dave," Susan said, putting the pieces together. "He mugged Dave."  
  
  
  
"Get him ready to go up to the OR," Corday ordered. She saw the worried looks on the faces of Carter, Kerry, Abby, and Chuny. "Don't worry, all of you. You know we'll take good care of him."  
  
She and Chuny rolled him to an elevator and took him up, leaving Carter, Abby, and Weaver standing in the trauma room. They snapped out of their trance and walked out, meeting Susan.  
  
"He died," Susan reported, motioning toward her patient. "Listen, there's something you should know. That guy had Malucci's wallet."  
  
Weaver sharply turned her head toward Susan. "What?"  
  
"He…he had Malucci's wallet," Susan said, cautiously.  
  
"It's a good thing that bastard's dead or I'd be in there killing him," Carter said, harshly.  
  
Susan was surprised. "What's going on?"  
  
"Our patient…it was Dave," Abby told her.  
  
Susan's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, is he okay?"  
  
"They took him up to the OR," Abby replied.  
  
"I'm going to go talk to Anna and Sam," Carter said to Abby. He walked over to Chairs.  
  
"I can't believe this," Kerry said.  
  
Abby looked at the floor. It was the third time one of her co-workers had been severely injured while she was here. She looked up and realized she had been left alone, since Kerry and Susan had walked off to ponder what had happened. She sighed.  
  
"Happy birthday, Dave," she whispered to herself, trying to hold back her tears. 


	17. Because of Me

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own nothing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Dave, wake up…you've got to wake up, please wake up," Randi whispered to him softly, rubbing his hand.To her surprise, Dave began to slowly open his eyes. He looked around and groaned. He was in the ICU.  
  
"Oh, God, not again," he moaned, rubbing his head with his free hand, which was in a cast.  
  
Randi let out a small laugh. "You got that right. You've really got to stop scaring us like this."  
  
He sighed and looked at her. "What happened?"  
  
"I was hoping that you'd tell me," she replied.  
  
"All I remember is my some kid and a baseball bat connecting with my gut," he answered.  
  
Randi looked down and realized she was still holding his hand. She started to pull back, but he held on.  
  
"No, don't let go," he said, quietly.  
  
She looked up at him again. "Dave?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You left because we were fighting, didn't you?"  
  
He was silent for a moment, thinking over his answer. He slowly nodded.  
  
Randi sniffled, her eyes beginning to tear up. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Hey," he whispered, "forget about it."  
  
"How am I supposed to do that? It's my fault that you got hurt."  
  
"Randi…I…listen, you're not the only one who was fighting and I shouldn't have ran out in the first place. It is far from being your fault, do you understand me?"  
  
She sniffled again and nodded. "Why did you run away, anyway?"  
  
Dave paused. He didn't really want to get into these, but it might feel good to let it out.  
  
"You don't have to tell if you don't want to," Randi told him, sensing his discomfort.  
  
"Uh, no, it's okay. See, none of my birthdays have gone well. There was, uh…there was always a fight on my birthday. They always had something to do with me or something I did. I'd end up getting beaten by my dad and he'd just leave. When you and Jing-Mei started fighting, it was just a natural instinct for me to bail. I guess it didn't do me much good though."  
  
Randi bit her lower lip. "I had no idea, Dave, I'm sorry."  
  
"Yeah, well…I only told a few things. I didn't tell you my life story," he said.  
  
Randi averted her eyes from his. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course you can."  
  
"Do you remember the first time?"  
  
"The first time…like, the first time I had sex?" Dave asked, causing his face to fill with a look of joy.  
  
Randi rolled her eyes. "No, doofus," she joked. Her tone became more serious. "I meant the first time you were…you know…abused?"  
  
Dave's face immediately fell. "Oh…uh, yeah, well, of course I remember it, it's not exactly something a person would forget."  
  
"Would you tell me about it?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know…it's just…I want to learn more about you."  
  
"And you're going to do this by finding out about the first time I was abused?"  
  
She laughed.  
  
"I can't talk about it yet, Randi, I'm not ready. Maybe sometime soon, but not now."  
  
"Don't worry, Dave, I understand."  
  
There was a moment of silence between the two as they sat in the room, hand- in-hand.  
  
"Randi, I read what was in your notebook," Dave blurted.  
  
"What?" she asked. Her heart's pace began to quicken.  
  
"I read your poems," he told her, mentally trying to shut himself up. "The poems about me."  
  
"Oh, God," Randi muttered to herself. "Dave, I…"  
  
"Randi, it's cool. Your poems are great. Most of them really touched my heart."  
  
"Real…really?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, really…I didn't know you felt like that about me."  
  
"Yeah, well, I did a pretty good job of hiding it. And how did you get your hands on my notebook?"  
  
"You left it in here that one time, remember? Then you came back to get it."  
  
"Oh," she whispered. She was about to say something else until Dr. Corday interrupted her.  
  
  
  
"Oh, Dave, good, you're awake," Elizabeth said, happily. "Good morning, Randi."  
  
"Good morning, Doctor Corday," Randi replied, nodding in her direction. "Uh, Dave, I'm going to go back downstairs for a little while, but I'll be back, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, okay…I'll see you later," he replied, upset that she was leaving.  
  
She lifted his hand to her lips and gently kissed it before setting it onto the bed and unlocking her hand with his. She started to walk out of the room but stopped to wave goodbye at Dave before leaving. He gave her a smile and waved back. He looked back at Dr. Corday.  
  
"So, doc, is everything working? I mean, I'll be able to go pick up some girls soon, right?" he joked.  
  
"Well, Dave, your sense of humor seems to be in check," she commented. "I'm going to need to see your injuries, okay?"  
  
Dave nodded.  
  
"Okay, if you can just sit up for me…"  
  
Dave began to sit up but realized that it caused much pain and sank back down. He groaned.  
  
"Dave? Are you all right?" Elizabeth said, rushing from the head of the bed to his side when she heard his moan of pain.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," he said. He finally managed to pull himself into a sitting position. Elizabeth untied his hospital gown and felt around his back, noticing some old scars.  
  
"Dave, where did these old scars come from?" she asked, curiously.  
  
"My dad," he stated, matter-of-factly.  
  
"What?" she asked in surprise.  
  
"You haven't heard yet?" he asked. "Ask the nurses downstairs," he suggested when he saw her shake her head.  
  
"Your father abused you?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah…but if you don't mind, I don't really feel like talking about it."  
  
"That's not a problem. It's none of my business…you can lay back down now. I'm going to examine your stomach and chest."  
  
He lay back down, relieved to be able to have rest again. Elizabeth poked around his ribs and he jerked in pain. Elizabeth immediately pulled her hands away.  
  
"Dave, calm down, it'll be okay," she comforted, putting a hand on his arm.  
  
He nodded and took a deep breath. He looked down at his stomach and the sight of the many bruises made him sick to his stomach. Elizabeth put her hands back to where they had been and Dave bit his lip to keep himself from crying out in pain and reduced to wincing instead. After a few minutes of this, Elizabeth was done.  
  
"All right, I'm finished, Dave," she told him. "I'm afraid you'll have to sit up again so I can tie your hospital gown."  
  
Dave groaned again as he sat up. She quickly tied it and helped him back down onto the pillow.  
  
"Now, I want you to get some rest, do you understand?" Elizabeth ordered.  
  
"Yeah, I got it," Dave replied. "Dr. Corday?"  
  
"Yes, Dave?"  
  
"Did anything major go wrong with me?"  
  
"Well…they told me that you went into V-Fib downstairs in the trauma room…you have a few broken ribs, a fractured arm, and…" Elizabeth said slowly, but Dave began to drown her voice out. His eyes were feeling very heavy. Elizabeth noticed him dozing off and stopped talking.  
  
"Do you need anything for the pain, Dave?" she asked, before leaving to let him sleep.  
  
He shook his head and closed his eyes completely, falling asleep. Elizabeth smiled at the young man before her. She smoothed his hair before getting up and walking out of the room. 


	18. No Hard Feelings

Title: Remember  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: No  
  
Disclaimer: Dude, leave me alone! I already told you: I don't own anything! Erik may be really, really hot, but…okay, I do own him! Crap, stop poking me with that thing! Fine, fine, I don't own him, dang it, I don't!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
"Lizzie, I was just looking for you!" the all-too-familiar voice called to Elizabeth.  
  
She closed her eyes and groaned. She turned and put on a fake smile. "Hello, Robert, what do you need?"  
  
Robert Romano took his time to walk up to her and they continued down the hall together.  
  
"Well, I just wanted to know how our young doctor is doing," he said.  
  
She looked at him curiously. "Since when do you care about Dr. Malucci?"  
  
"Now, Lizzie, I care, really I do…can't you see it in my eyes?" he asked innocently.  
  
"No," she replied.  
  
He frowned and Elizabeth bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.  
  
"Lizzie, that hurts, really. Now, will you or will you not tell me how he is?"  
  
"Alright, Robert, you win. Dave is going to be fine. He has a few broken ribs, a fractured arm, and a minor concussion. When they brought him up to the OR, he was unconscious and he had internal bleeding…"  
  
"Okay, okay, I get the point," Romano interrupted. "He'll live, correct?"  
  
"I think that's just a tad bit obvious, Robert," she replied, coldly.  
  
She quickened her stride. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have patients to see."  
  
"Right then," he called after her.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Dave, you really shouldn't be doing this," she lectured.  
  
"Abby, I've been in this bed for…well, a day, but that's beside the point," he replied.  
  
"Dave, you were almost ripped apart!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Thanks for the sentiment, but hey, it's not like it's never happened before," he said, sarcastically.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Dave, come on, let's get real about this. You barely survived a beating last night and you want to go back to work in less than a week?" she asked, incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, why shouldn't I?"  
  
"Dave, give me a break! You're a doctor! You know that this is not a good idea!"  
  
Dave sat up in his bed, wincing when he did so. Abby rushed to his side, but he held up his hand.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm okay," he assured.  
  
Abby pursed her lips. "Do you see what I mean?" she asked, pointedly.  
  
He shook his head, beginning to protest, when a booming voice called from the door, "What's going on?"  
  
Dave's eyes widened as he immediately stopped what he was saying and tried his best to sit up straight. He turned to look at the doorway and there stood his father.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Malucci," Abby greeted, seeming rather uncomfortable. Dave couldn't blame her. "Dave wants to return to work before the week is over," she explained.  
  
I shot her an accusing look and she shrugged apologetically.  
  
"Now, David, you're not really going to do that are you?" he asked. His voice was kind, but Dave couldn't help but hear a threatening tone to it, which wasn't intentionally there.  
  
"No, sir," he replied. He looked at Abby and she looked back at him curiously.  
  
"Good, because I'd hate to see you get hurt for the third time," Sam said, with a slight teasing tone.  
  
Dave faked a smile, as did Abby.  
  
~As if he's never seen me hurt before~ Dave thought.  
  
There was a pause among the three.  
  
"Abby, would you give us a minute?" Sam suddenly asked.  
  
"Oh…um, sure, I guess…" she stammered. She shot a quick glance at Dave and he gave her a small smile. She slinked past Dave's father and quickly walked out of the room. Dave bit his lip, wondering why his father had wanted to be alone with him.  
  
"Did you want to talk about something?" Dave asked.  
  
Sam nodded. He walked up to Dave's bed and sat in the seat next to it. He took a deep breath.  
  
"Dave, I know you still hate me for what I did."  
  
Dave held back a groan. He didn't want to have this conversation again.  
  
"Dad, I really don't want to talk about this…" Dave started.  
  
"Now, now, I know, but it's something I need to say," Sam insisted.  
  
Dave closed his eyes, hoping to drown out the sound of his father's voice.  
  
"David, you listen to me," Sam said, sternly. Dave immediately obeyed and opened his eyes.  
  
"Yes, sir," Dave replied.  
  
"Now, I know why you left last night. I know it's because the fight between those two young ladies brought back bad memories for you."  
  
Dave gave a small nod in agreement.  
  
"Dave, I don't want you to be afraid anymore…I want you to know that I will never hurt you…not again…never again," Sam said, his voice becoming quieter. His head dropped to look at the floor.  
  
Dave eyed his father. He bit is lip and blinked a few times. He grabbed his father's hand and Sam looked up in surprise.  
  
"Dad…I…I know you won't hurt me anymore," Dave whispered, "and…and I forgive you."  
  
And he meant it.  
  
Sam's mouth broke into a huge grin and he stood up to hug his son. They broke apart when they heard a knock on the door. They moved their heads to look at who it was.  
  
"Hello, Dr. Chen," Sam said, with a trace of unkindness in his tone.  
  
"Evening, Mr. Malucci," Jing-Mei replied. "Hi, Dave, how are you?"  
  
Dave waved. "How do you think I am?" he said.  
  
Jing-Mei looked down. "Sorry," she said, quietly.  
  
Dave rolled his eyes. "I was just joking, Jing-Mei, I'm doing okay."  
  
Jing-Mei looked up at him and cracked a small smile. Sam could sense the tension in the room and decided to excuse himself. "Well, I think I'm going to head home…don't want your sister to worry now, do we?" he said, standing up. He walked past Jing-Mei and looked back at Dave. "We'll come by tomorrow, son. Have a good night, Jing-Mei."  
  
"Thank you, sir," Jing-Mei called as she watched him walk toward the elevators. She walked over to Dave's bed and sat in the seat Sam had been sitting in. "So, Abby tells me you want to get back to work before the week is over."  
  
"Yep," Dave replied.  
  
"Why? You know that's not a good idea," Jing-Mei told him.  
  
"Well, quite frankly, it doesn't matter to me either way," Dave replied, snippily.  
  
"Dave, I know you're mad at me, but…"  
  
"Oh give me a break!" Dave cried. "I don't want to hear another person say 'I'm sorry' again because I've heard it enough to last a lifetime! I don't want your apologies!"  
  
Jing-Mei stared at him, shocked at his outburst. She blinked. "Dave, I…uh, well, I'm…I guess it's time for me to go. I'll see you soon."  
  
She stood up and walked to the door. Before she left, she said, without turning, "Hey, Dave?"  
  
He grunted in response.  
  
"There's no hard feelings, okay?" she continued, before walking away.  
  
As Dave watched her, an involuntary smile spread across his face. "Yeah, Jing-Mei, there's no hard feelings," he whispered to himself. 


	19. Shocker

Disclaimer: So continues the story of me not owning Dave. He belongs to NBC, as does ER and all the other characters. That really sucks.  
  
AN: Hey, folks! It's been awhile since I last updated. I've been busy working on other stories, namely Back Home, which is about Dave, and Suck It Up, starring none other than John Carter and Abby Lockhart. I would appreciate if you R/R them, but you know, I think I should get to the story now. Oh, and the burn victim Dave treats is in reference to the burn victim he treated in "Truth and Consequences," although they are different girls.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
  
  
It was two weeks after Dave's attack. He had been going through a lot of visits from co-workers and friends, he had been pushed to go to counseling, and he was sick of it all. He was sitting on his couch in his apartment, itching to get back to work. He had convinced Dr. Weaver to let him start the next day.  
  
  
  
He smiled up at Anna as she handed him a drink. He tilted his head back and took a sip of it. "Thanks," he told her.  
  
"No problem," she replied.  
  
A silence appeared between the siblings. Anna sat still for a moment. She cleared her throat.  
  
"Uh, listen, Dave…" she started.  
  
"Just tell me the bad news," Dave interrupted.  
  
Anna smiled to herself. "Well, it's not really that bad. See, I've been uh, trying to get into medical school…"  
  
Dave looked up in surprise. "What? Since when have you been trying to do that? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Anna laughed. "I…I don't know. It's just…I guess saving peoples' lives appeal to me, you know? I mean, I've finished college, obviously. Why shouldn't I follow the footsteps of my big brother?"  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"  
  
"I'm absolutely positive."  
  
"Then I'm happy for you. Uh, what were you saying? About the medical school?"  
  
"Well, I just called my answering machine to check for messages, and I got one from the school I've been trying to get into. I called them back and they told me that I got in! Apparently they've been trying to reach me for weeks, but since I wasn't home to get their acceptance letter or answer the phone…"  
  
"Anna! That's…that's fantastic! I'm so excited for you!" Dave exclaimed.  
  
Anna squealed. "I know! But there's bad news."  
  
"I knew it," Dave said, his face falling.  
  
"Yeah, dad and I are going to have to leave by this weekend…"  
  
Dave nodded in understanding. "Uh, yeah, of course you do."  
  
"Dave, I'd really like to stay longer…but I think we've overstayed our welcome anyway."  
  
"No, of course you haven't. But I get it, Anna. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."  
  
"Yeah, I know. I'm just going to miss my brother."  
  
"Well, I'll be sure to keep in touch this time."  
  
"Hey, we're not leaving yet. Save the pre-good byes for later."  
  
"When are you leaving?"  
  
"I was thinking maybe we should book the plane tickets for Friday."  
  
"Two days," Dave mused.  
  
"I know it's fast, but Dave…it's med school!"  
  
"I know, Anna, I know! You don't have to keep reminding me," Dave laughed.  
  
Anna took a deep breath. "It's just…this is so huge! One minute, I'm in Chicago, hanging out with my brother and the next…well, next I'm back home going training to be a doctor."  
  
"It's a big step," Dave agreed.  
  
"You're telling me," Anna replied.  
  
Dave looked at his watch. "Well, I'm going to sleep. I've got get up early for my shift tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, that's right, you start again tomorrow! Good luck, big bro."  
  
"Thanks. Hey, you should call the airport and book those tickets, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I'm going to do that. Sweet dreams!"  
  
"Ditto," Dave replied as he got up and walked to his room.  
  
  
  
Dave flopped onto his bed and turned on his side to set his alarm clock. As he did so, he groaned in pain. He grabbed his ribs and let them heal for a moment. He carefully turned on his side again and set the clock. He lay back down on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He felt himself drifting off to sleep and finally fell into a deep slumber…  
  
  
  
…Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!  
  
Dave groaned and slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock. He lifted his head, but let it drop back down onto his pillow. He started to go back to sleep, but five minutes later, the beeping started again. He mock sobbed and sat up.  
  
"Shut up," he said quietly to the clock. He hit the off button and walked to his bathroom. He did his usual routine: brushed his teeth, used the toilet, took a shower, combed his hair, and put on his clothes. He crept out of his room, making sure the doors to his dad and sister's rooms were closed, and went to the kitchen. He grabbed some Pop Tarts and stuck them in his toaster. As they toasted, he opened the refrigerator and poured himself a cup of orange juice. He took a long sip and savored the taste. The pop of the toaster caught his attention and he pulled out a plate to put his breakfast on. He ate his food standing up, finished his OJ, and walked into his bedroom to grab his backpack. He walked into the living room and exited his apartment. He walked down the stairs and got his bike. He hopped on it and made a smooth ride to Cook County. He locked his bike to the rack and walked into the ER.  
  
  
  
"Dr. Malucci, welcome back!" Michael greeted the returning. He gave him a quick smile before rushing off to see a patient.  
  
"Thanks, Gallant," Dave called to him.  
  
"Hey, Dave, you're back! How are you?" Carter asked, coming up to him.  
  
"Hey, Carter, I'm cool," he replied. "I take it we're busy this morning?"  
  
"Unusually busy," Carter confirmed.  
  
"Figures," Dave muttered.  
  
"Uh, listen, I have to go help Pratt with something," Carter said, distracted.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"He's a new intern," Carter explained. "I really have to go, but it's nice to see you back!"  
  
"Yeah, great," Dave said, sarcastically.  
  
"Dave, hey!" Randi called.  
  
Dave inadvertently smiled and walked over to the desk clerk.  
  
"Hi, Randi, how's it going?"  
  
"Oh, it's going okay. It's really crazy this morning, though."  
  
"Yeah, I can see that."  
  
"Are you doing okay?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Uh, my sister and my dad are leaving this Friday."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Anna got into med school."  
  
"No way! Are you serious? I didn't know she applied!"  
  
"Neither did I. It came as a complete surprise. I had no idea she wanted to be a doctor."  
  
"Huh. Well, good for her, right?"  
  
"Yeah, of course, definitely. It's just…"  
  
"Malucci! Welcome back," Kerry's voice boomed.  
  
"Hey, Chief," Dave greeted.  
  
"We're swamped today, so get ready and meet some patients," Kerry suggested.  
  
"Sure thing, Chief," Dave agreed. He gave a quick smile to Randi, who returned one, and walked to the Lounge. He put his bag and jacket in his locker and shut it. He walked back out and grabbed a random chart (which was a first) and took a look at it. A female with burn lacerations.  
  
"Crap, not one of these again. I can't handle this right now," Dave moaned to himself.  
  
He walked into Exam 2 and saw a teenage girl sitting there with a bandage wrapped around her face.  
  
"Hello, I'm Dr. Dave and I'll be treating you today. What's your name?"  
  
"Kristine," the teen replied.  
  
"Well, Kristine, can you tell me what happened?"  
  
"Our apartment complex was set on fire," she told him.  
  
"Do you have any idea how?"  
  
"Nope," she replied, shaking her head.  
  
Dave nodded. "Okay, well, I'm going to take a look at your injuries. Just lean back…"  
  
  
  
"No, Mr. Scantlin, you can't do that! Please, sir, just sit back and stay still!" Jing-Mei pleaded with the elderly man. He was a victim of the fire and he was trying to pull off his oxygen mask and IV.  
  
"Young lady, I don't want all this, I just want to go home!" the man told her.  
  
"I understand that, Mr. Scantlin, but I have a priority to protect my patients and that's exactly what I'm going to do."  
  
Mr. Scantlin looked up at her and smiled. "You know, you're a good girl."  
  
Jing-Mei chuckled. "Well, thank you Mr. Scantlin."  
  
Suddenly, she heard a loud scream and she quickly turned her head to see what the commotion was.  
  
  
  
"No! Leave me alone! Somebody help me!" a girl's voice screamed.  
  
"Please, calm down! Come on, calm down!" the doctor yelled back.  
  
Dave ran into the room, followed by Jing-Mei. "What's going on?" he asked.  
  
"He's touching me!" the girl screamed.  
  
"She's freaking out because I'm trying to do a…" Carter started.  
  
"He shouldn't do that!" the girl screamed.  
  
Abby stood at the side of the room, laughing.  
  
"It's not funny!" Carter chastised.  
  
"Yes it is!" Abby countered, still laughing.  
  
Dave stifled a chuckle. "Uh, listen…what's your name?"  
  
"Kelly," the girl replied, pouting.  
  
"Kelly," Dave started, "Dr. Carter isn't going to hurt you. He's just doing his job."  
  
"Yeah, well, why can't someone else do that? Like a woman, maybe?" the girl demanded.  
  
"Uh, Carter, maybe you should have Abby do this," Jing-Mei offered.  
  
"Thank you for the advice, Deb," Carter said, sarcastically.  
  
Jing-Mei smiled and shrugged.  
  
"Excuse me, I have a patient," Dave said, exiting the room.  
  
  
  
As he walked back to Exam 2, he laughed out loud. He walked into the room, where Kristine looked at him expectantly.  
  
"Well?" she asked when he didn't say anything.  
  
"Well what?" Dave questioned.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "What happened?"  
  
"Oh, just a little incident with another patient," Dave explained.  
  
"Was it important?"  
  
"Oh, no, just a minor mishap."  
  
She nodded. "So, what about my face?"  
  
"Well, the burns will heal, obviously. But they're going to leave scars."  
  
"Scars? I'm going to be scarred for life?"  
  
"No, no, the scars will fade, eventually, but it'll take some time."  
  
"How much time, exactly?"  
  
"Well, everyone heals differently. It could take up to a year, but you might be able to heal faster than that."  
  
"I can deal with that, I guess."  
  
Dave smiled. This girl was much better than the one he had handled before. "Uh, another doctor will be in here to talk to you about it, but I'm sure you're going to turn out just fine."  
  
The girl beamed at him. "Thanks, Dr. Dave."  
  
"No problem, Kristine. I'm glad I could help." 


End file.
